The Dead Sea
by VraieEsprit
Summary: After a terrible accident, Ryoko realises her pirate bonds are not so easy to break. What is the dark secret hidden in Sargasso and has she really lost Tenchi and her new life forever? COMPLETE 9.12.06
1. Chapter 1

**Introduction and Disclaimer**  
I know, I keep saying I'm not going to write sequels :S

This fiction is intended as a sequel to Hawk of Jurai, but a lot less complicated. (Which is a good thing. Hawk worked out, I think, not too badly overall, but it was a heck of a pain to write at times and keep constant through so many plots and characters and things going on. We are, after all, talking more than 200,000 words in total across the three parts. Yeeks. Gone With The Wind eat your heart out.).

It's set six months after the conclusion of Hawk, so dust has settled in some areas and not in others. I did it this way because I had a theme I wanted to open the story with – and hopefully it's going to work out, even if the Juraian element of Tenchi Muyo! characters are somewhat in cameo for the most of this tale.

Like with my other stories, this has a TU foundation. There are some already existing OVA themes involved, although nothing that couldn't exist within the confines of TU. And this story is going to drag in characters from outside the TU continuity again, remodelling them slightly to fit the TU framework. The idea's there in my head - hopefully it will work out. So I'll be up front with it from the start. Hotsuma is in this story. Why? Because, when all is said and done, it's on it's way towards being a pirate story. And Hotsuma's a pirate with a penchant for Ryoko. ;) Nuff said? Nuff said.

This is a very random idea, designed to tie in with one of the more obscure (and oftimes ignored!) themes of TU, and to focus in on a few characters rather than many spread far and wide across the Universe like Hawk did. Well, everyone can use a brain break, especially me. It also does homage to my pet Tenchi movie in some respects, Tenchi Forever - although with a quite different twist. And Hotsuma, how you've never seen him before. It's also a very Tenchi and Ryoko story - for which I make no apologies, because I like Tenchi and Ryoko ;). 

As before - although I don't think they directly will apply much - my butchered OVA/TU royal Jurai family rules still exist in this fic. And it IS a continuation from Hawk of Jurai. We're still in a Tenchi x Ryoko pairing zone. And I think that's pretty much all I need to say!!

Oh yeah. My caveat. Slight artistic licence that needs to be mentioned. On careful study of Kagato Jurai in Tenchi Universe, he seems to like changing his eye colour. But since he does have goldish eyes in at least some TU scenes, I've chosen to keep that as his eye colour in my writing. Well, he does say Jurai's magic can do anything...;) And since I'm TU/OVA meshing and Kagato from the OVA has yellow-gold sclera also...it seems to fit very nicely. :) Humour me, ne?

Usual legal bumf (copyrights etc) apply :) Oh yes, and **the story is dedicated to the aforementioned anonymous Tenchi fan and her good friend Brian**, who can help to wile away a long and rainy working day ;)  
**  
Synopsis**

_There_ _are some in the universe that claim a leopard can't change it's spots. Once ordained a space pirate, then a space pirate you are for all eternity. Your blood is your bond, and through that bond the life of freedom outside the law can never fully leave you behind._

In the depths of space, darkness seems to overcome even the most ingrained of bonds. But when Ryo Ohki is drawn into dangerous territory on a return trip from Planet Jurai to the Earth, little do any of her crew imagine what is lurking out there in the bleak. For Ryoko, it's just another trip through chartered territory, and, as pirate ships loom on the horizon, she takes a short cut through the dangerous, cluttered area known as the Sargasso Sea - the ship's graveyard which is said to hold the souls of the space dead as well as the rusting remains of their crafts.

Caught up in a vicious battle of ships across this cold terrain, Ryoko finds herself for once on the wrong end of the fight, as the pirates, resentful of her turn-tail attitude seek to hunt down the one who betrayed their kind. As the smoke clears, Ryoko struggles to come to terms with what has happened, even as she finds herself pulled once more into the world of brigands and cuthroats as she seeks both answers and a final, bitter revenge.

But even her newest ally has secrets, and things are not always what they seem...

**THE DEAD SEA**

A Tenchi Muyo! Fanfiction  
by  
VRAIEESPRIT

Chapter One

Deep Space.  
Some years earlier.

_"One more for the road?"_

The swarthy bartender eyed his customer keenly, taking in her sharp, amber eyes and her cheeky, impish features even as he rolled the shiny coin between his fingers. As she gestured for a refill, he was quick to oblige, knowing that where gold glittered so readily, there was always likely to be more.

"You had good luck today." His comment was a statement, rather than a question, but his companion nodded her head, turning to glance across the busy, bustling bar as if seeking a particular companion. At length she turned back to him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Not bad." She agreed airily. "For a warm up act, anyway. It was easy pickings, Jiro. The Galaxy Police are getting soft...I didn't even pick up a vapour trail this time. Not till I was well out of their path, anyway. They're just not a match for Ryo Ohki and I - they should accept it and give up. The higher the reward they put on my head, the more incentive I have to evade them. It's all a game, and they're losers. They haven't a hope in hell of ever putting me away."

"I'd believe it, too." Jiro commented, amused. "Your drink. I see you've lost none of your edge."

"Why would I have?" Ryoko looked startled. "Jiro, I'm a pirate. It's a blood bond. It's not something you grow out of."

"Well, just thinking about Haki." Jiro said contemplatively, and his companion's eyes darkened.

"Haki is dead." She said abruptly. "And good riddance to him, too. He's old news - long gone. Space dust. I wish people would just forget he even existed. There are new pirates now - people who are stronger and faster and smarter than he was."

"Like you, perhaps?" Jiro scooped up the coin she tossed idly onto the smooth surface, and she grinned, taking a sip of her drink.

"Perhaps." She said, smiling at him coquettishly. "Guess time will tell. He taught me a lot of useful things, you know. But most of it is inbred. This is what I was born to be - to do. What else would I do with my life? Haki wasn't the be all and end all of my career. I have new options now. New freedom without him pulling me back down, making me split profits with him and telling me what we're going to do next. No, the Galaxy Police did me a favour, blowing up that ugly shell of a ship of his when they did. But it just goes to show how much smarter I am than both him and them, you know. After all, I was there, on Karasu, when they attacked. And I'm the one who lived to tell the tale. Funny...isn't it?"

"Hey, I'm not one to criticise a space pirate." Jiro held up his hands. "I just serve the drinks, Ryoko-san. You know that."

"Yes, I know." Ryoko's eyes flickered thoughtfully. "But you do it damn well."

She drained her glass, dumping it down on the slick bar with a thud. "We all have our calling in life, Jiro. This is yours. Piracy is mine."

"Ryoko!"

A voice cut through the bustle of the bar at that moment, and Ryoko turned, getting to her feet as she caught sight of the caller. Jiro followed her line of vision, taking in the tall, well-formed features of a man, maybe ten physical years Ryoko's senior but with a glint of mischief and devilry in his eyes that could match the pirate's own blow for blow. His long blond hair was pulled back from his face in a cascading tail, and the glasses he wore gave him a deceptively respectable look, but Jiro had known Hotsuma for many years, and he knew only too well the kind of man he was.

"You're late." Ryoko greeted her companion with a raised eyebrow. "You were supposed to be here a half hour ago, Hotsuma - what happened? Did you get chased?"

"I never get chased...not seriously." Hotsuma dismissed it with a careless gesture, casting Jiro a casual smile as he did so. "Usual, Jiro. Neat."

"With pleasure." Jiro nodded his head, bending to carry out his customer's orders. As he did so, however, he observed the two pirates, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he glanced from one to the other. So Ryoko had not wasted time in replacing her successful raiding partner. Somehow he wasn't surprised - Hotsuma was as ambitious and as manipulative as Ryoko was herself, and he was sure that, as a team, they might make a formidable hunting pair. As he looked closer, a speck of red on the sleeve of Hotsuma's outfit made him realise the official nature of their relationship, and almost automatically he found himself scanning Ryoko's hands for the matching wound, gratified by the faint reddish stain that had seeped across the fabric of her glove. So, he mused, they weren't just raiding partners. They were blood-bonded, too. Sworn to raid together - for as long as that may be.

"You did at least get the information we need?" Ryoko was speaking now, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed at her companion warily. Hotsuma nodded, eyes glinting behind his glasses.

"When have I ever let you down, my princess?" He bantered back. "Of course I have. We're all set. Tonight we show everyone exactly what we're capable of. They're still chanting over the demise of Haki...they seem to have forgotten that he wasn't the only pirate out in Deep Space."

"The sooner they forget about him, the better." Ryoko said flatly, dismissing the name with a careless flick of her fingers. "Listen, Hotsuma. I've been thinking about this. I want to take Ryo Ohki. Gai'En is too conspicuous - and too big. Ryo Ohki is small and fast and she moves much more easily through space patrols. We'll have a much better chance of making a clean getaway if we leave yours here and come back for it when the chaos has died down."

"We'll see." Hotsuma looked thoughtful, scooping up his drink and taking a healthy swig. "Maybe you're right - although Ryo Ohki has her limitations. And you say my craft is distinctive - but Ryoko, everyone knows Ryo Ohki. If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted this crime to have your stamp on it, when it gets as far as the Galaxy Police. After all, you do like adding hits to your rap sheet."

"Maybe I do." Ryoko looked unrepentant, flashing him a winning smile. "It's all in a day's work - but it doesn't count unless I get a hit."

She gestured to his glass with a shrug.

"Are you done? We ought to be making tracks."

"I'm done." Hotsuma drained his glass, bowing his head mock-reverently in her direction. "After you, my lady."

"After you, my lady." Ryoko mimicked, but there was playful amusement in her expression and Hotsuma laughed, grabbing her by the hand.

"You're just not used to being treated like a lady." He said lightly. "Perhaps things are going to change, now we're flying together. Haki might not have realised it, but I know you're more than just a pirate, Ryoko-chan. You're brilliant, and so am I. Between us we'll make his bones turn in his grave...his legend will be dust before the year is out."

"He's already dust - space dust. Why not his legend, too?" Ryoko snorted. "Come on."

She cast a grin at the bartender, offering him a wink.

"Till next time, Jiro." She said amiably. "I know you never object to our coin, whenever we come to call."

And in a flash they was gone, flickering and blinking out like a shadow as the pirate woman practiced her dark arts once more. Jiro sighed, lifting the empty glasses and moving them to be washed. Ryoko's black magic and sharp wit were legend already across space - trained by the greatest pirate who had ever terrorised the universe, and with a flair and spirit all of her own. Somehow he knew that Hotsuma was right. Things would change - the universe would bow before them, or be forced to kneel in terror at their feet.

He smiled, scooping up Hotsuma's coin and flicking it up in the air, catching it deftly in his hand and glancing it over.

"One gold piece is as good as another, she's not wrong." He murmured. "Good business for them is good business for me and I won't complain about that!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_The_ _Planet Jurai.  
Some Years Later_

"Planet Jurai is so pretty at this time of the year."

Tenchi Masaki rested his hands on the balcony, gazing out across the landscape at the darkening sky. "No matter how many times I come here, I always see a different side of it. Seasons might be different here from on the Earth, but they're still just as much fun to look at."

He smiled, glancing down to meet the amused crimson eyes of his companion. "You know, Sasami, it's ironic, us being here like this. On the Earth, Seijin No Hi doesn't happen until you're twenty. But here you are...is it really true that, if you wanted to, you could get married now?"

"Yep, although I'm not going to be doing it." Sasami eyed him decidedly, mischief in her expression. "It's been six months since Tsunami took over my body and I know that I'm not ready to be a grown up yet...even if I'm not as scared as I used to be of our connection. I might be thirteen now, Tenchi, but I'm not getting married for at least five years yet. Maybe more. Father's said so - he's made it clear that nobody is allowed to court me until I'm old enough to attend the Holy Council meetings, and that's not for a long time yet. Not until I'm eighteen."

"Your father has a lot of sense." Tenchi said dryly, turning to gaze across the busy, elaborate function room as he did so. "There are probably a lot of ambitious men who'd like to marry Jurai's goddess, you know. And you can't keep that connection a secret forever."

"I know." Sasami looked thoughtful. "But I've promised myself and I've promised Washu that I'm not going to get married unless I'm really in love, Tenchi. I know Ayeka and Takeru got married because Father arranged it, and I know they're friends and really close even despite it...but I want to choose. If I can't choose my destiny, I'm going to at least choose my husband."

"Washu, huh?" Tenchi looked surprised. Sasami nodded.

"She told me she was in love once, but she never got to marry him and he went away. I think he died." She said pensively. "Don't you think it's sad?"

"I didn't know Washu was interested in those things." Tenchi frowned, and Sasami laughed.

"Well, I know a lot of things you don't." She said playfully. "But I think it's meant to be a secret. You won't tell her I told you, will you? Just in case she gets upset."

"I promise." Tenchi nodded. "In truth, I still have difficulty accepting some days that she's a woman instead of a child - I know I should be used to it by now, but it still makes me do a double take, registering the way she looks. I suppose, given that she _is_ an adult woman, it's not totally crazy that she could fall in love. It's just not the kind of thing you associate with Washu, somehow. Weird, huh?"

He eyed her keenly.

"Well, Sasami? Since this is your special festival, you shouldn't be out here hiding from the crowds. Come on, lets go back and mingle. Tomorrow we have to fly home anyway...my college term begins in a short few weeks from now and we can't stay as long as we'd like. Not with all the pressure Earth puts on us these days for this or that or something else."

He held out his hand and daintily the Princess took it, allowing him to lead her back into the centre of the busy ballroom. All around them people in fine robes stood and talked, sipping expensive wines and greeting old acquaintances, and some danced to the austere music being played by a native band in the furthest corner of the hall. It was, he mused, a very grown up kind of party. Sasami seemed to guess his thoughts, because she grinned up at him, squeezing his hand.

"Most of the people here I don't even know." She told him sheepishly. "They're family of Council members or ambassadors or important people who know Uncle and Father and not me at all. But I have to be so polite to them anyway - because I'm a Princess of Jurai, they all think it's important to come to the palace and play a part in this. It's all like a big social game...it's silly, isn't it? Most of them I might never see again, either. But here they are anyhow."

"It is a bit impersonal." Tenchi admitted, leading her across the hall to a seat and sitting down, gesturing for her to join him. "Is that why it was so important for you to have visitors from the Earth as well as ones from Planet Jurai?"

"Well, Uncle will take any opportunity he can get to see you and Lord Yosho." Sasami's eyes twinkled. "And I wanted you and Ryoko and Washu to come, anyway. And of course, you invited your father, too, and here we all are. Although why didn't you bring Yume with you? I thought she was staying with you permanently now."

"She is." Tenchi nodded his head. "But someone needed to stay at home and look after the house - odd things are prone to happening in our part of the mountains, and I don't think you realise how much we've been dragged into things since Earth learnt that it had big and powerful neighbours. If there's noone there, they might panic, even if they have heard you're celebrating Seijin No Hi and have called us away for that purpose. After all, Yume _is_ a shape shifter. If the worst thing comes to the worst, she can improvise."

"I see." Sasami looked amused. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. Earth are making you work hard then, huh?"

"Between college and everything else, it's busy and confusing." Tenchi agreed, scratching his head absently as he considered the question. "Of course, Washu is loving every minute of it. Since she offered her services to the International Space Consortium, she's been pulled into directing a lot of Earth's security measures and they all seem to worship the ground she walks on. That kind of thing appeals to Washu, as I'm sure you can guess - she likes being in control, although I almost hate to think what she's installing into these atmospheric sensors as well as simple ship identity scanners. You know how she can be."

"Yes, but she is smart and she does understand Juraian technology." Sasami said comfortably. "Since Father and Ayeka have sent a lot of componants to the Earth to help out, it's only natural that they want someone who knows what she's doing in charge of it. I don't think Washu is as crazy or as dangerous as you're suggesting, Tenchi. She's a little eccentric, sure, but really she's just lonely and likes people to remember she's there. Plus, I guess it isn't easy if you lose your sister and your planet, have your heart broken, have to give up your daughter and _then_ get shut away in a cave for seven hundred years. I think it's good that she wants to help Earth. She could hate it, considering she was imprisoned there for so long."

"Oh, I trust Washu." Tenchi assured her. "I just hope the Earth know what they've let themselves in for. Still, it is good for her to be using her science for positive means. I think blowing up her planet really affected her, although she never talks about it."

He shrugged.

"Either way, her work is going down well with the people in charge." He added. "And since she lengthened the Earth's time axis, Jurai and Earth now spin on the same timeline. Which means that Jurai's componants can be used to secure the Earth, I think...something like that. They're compatible, anyway...and Washu seems to think the Earth is better for the change, although I haven't noticed even a tiny bit of difference."

Sasami laughed.

"I'm glad that it's not going to be so confusing any more, visiting the Earth." She admitted. "And I am still going to do that, Tenchi. Now I've officially come of age, I'm going to make sure I get to fly Tsunami-fune more when I want to. I like visiting planets and besides, I promised Suki we'd make a trip sometime. She's never been far from Jurai, except that one time she visited Seiryo-san when he was at Headquarters. It'd be fun to go flying with a friend again."

"So the Tennan family live to fight another day at court, do they?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. Sasami nodded.

"Yes. And I'm glad." She agreed. "Tenchi, it's been six whole months now. And well, you can't stay mad at someone forever. Besides, Seiryo hasn't been well for a lot of the time. He's tried to hide it, but Tokimi's magic really hurt him and Suki has noone else to confide in when she's worried, so she talks to me. It's only really in the last month or so he's been fit enough to return to the Council and take his seat there. People don't forget, of course, but I don't think anyone is still cross with him. He made a mistake, that's all - and he and Suki have taken responsibility for Tokimi, so it's not like they've just done nothing since it happened. Seiryo's a different man, Tenchi. I think this really changed him."

She frowned.

"I don't know if Tokimi will ever wake up." She owned. "I've visited with Suki and she always takes flowers and stops to tell her stories. But there's never any response. It's so sad. I wish I knew how to wake her - without her magic, she's not dangerous any more. But even though we touched minds once when I was Tsunami, I haven't been able to do it again. I'm not even sure if her mind is still there. I wish I could help her, Tenchi."

"You can't always help everyone." Tenchi told her gently. "The fact you do as much as you do and as you already have is enough, Sasami-chan. Believe me, you're already very special. You can't fix every problem there is...you have to realise that."

"I know." Sasami kicked her legs idly against the base of her seat. "But it would be nice. Oh well. Maybe one day it will change. I mean, it took Seiryo-san a long time to get over what happened to him and he was only affected for a short time. Maybe it will take a lot longer for Tokimi to come out of her stupor."

"Probably you're right." Tenchi nodded. "In the meantime, I'm glad everything has settled down peacefully on Jurai."

"Me too." Sasami dimpled. "Hey, Tenchi, where do you suppose Ryoko has got to? She and Ayeka were talking when we left them, but Ayeka's with Takeru over there now and I can't see Ryoko anywhere."

"Judging by the speed with which she was knocking back her drinks, I'm almost afraid to find out." Tenchi rolled her eyes, getting to his feet as he scanned the crowd for his missing belle. "Some things never do change, Sasami - I expect she's had a lot to drink and is curled up somewhere, sleeping it off. Or she's had enough and has decided to call it a night. She never really has been into all this Juraian high society and there are a lot of people here still who don't like her on account of her past and her heritage."

"Only rude and silly people." Sasami shrugged dismissively. "Even Uncle acknowledges that Kagato was his nephew, and noone hates him for it. Ryoko was a pirate a long time ago, but it's all over now. And she can't help who her Dad is. Just like I can't help being a Princess of Jurai. You don't choose how you're born. You're just born it."

She frowned.

"Come to think of it, I can't see Washu here, either." She mused. "Where do you suppose everyone's gone to, Tenchi? I know it's late, but not that late, not yet. Do you think they're all abandoning me?"

"No...of course not." Tenchi squeezed her hand. "I know that Washu has gone to see Tokimi. She said she was going to, before we came down here this evening and got introduced to so many people my head started spinning. She wasn't sure she'd have time tomorrow, before we left, and I think she wanted the chance to see her sister alone, when everyone else was occupied here with your party. I think she thought you'd understand...do you?"

"Oh. Yes, I do." Sasami's expression cleared. "Then that's all right. I did tell Washu that I'd make sure she was looked after and stuff, after all."

"Well, in the absence of anyone else, and since I'm above suspicion in your father's eyes where ambitious noblemen are concerned, we should dance." Tenchi suggested, a slightly sheepish expression entering his brown eyes as he did so. "I have two left feet and could trip for Japan, if you ask Ryoko...but you are the centre of attention today, and even Lord Haru can't complain about you dancing with me. After all, I'm family, and he seems to approve of me...for some reason or another."

"He knows I see you like a brother, Tenchi-oniichan." Sasami grinned, squeezing his hand. "He'd have liked me to have had a brother, so he doesn't mind if I spend time with you. I think maybe he thinks you'll chase all the greedy old men away. It's kind of creepy, you know...that people want to marry me already even though I'm only just thirteen."

She grimaced.

"Being a princess sucks." She added succinctly. Tenchi laughed, pulling her to her feet.

"Well, for tonight, you and I both have to play the role of prince and princess." He said resignedly. "We might as well make it look good...then I'll go see if I can find Ryoko and make sure she hasn't blown anything up or kicked off a fight with any of your palace guard. You never know when she's had too much to drink..and well, much as I'm fond of her, I'd rather prevent a scene if I can. Earth really didn't know what they were doing when they asked her to be a liaison between home and Jurai."

"I think it's a good job for Ryoko. She can use her magic and fly through space and people stop thinking she's a monster, if she's helping." Sasami pointed out. Tenchi nodded.

"Yes, but if she gets herself into a brawl, it won't be pretty for the press back home." He responded. "Remember, there are Earth-born envoys on Jurai now, Sasami. Our planets are linked more and more each day...and I'd rather not risk it."

"Okay." Sasami giggled. "We'll dance and then I'll help you find Ryoko. I'd like to sneak out of this stuffy hall anyway - and people are too busy sucking up to one another to notice if I vanish, even if it is my coming of age. I'd much rather come with you, if you'll let me."

"Sure, why not?" Tenchi looked rueful. "Just don't tell your father it was Ryoko we were seeking - they already have a dubious enough relationship as it is."

"It's a deal." Sasami's crimson eyes sparkled with amusement. "Then come with me, Lord Tenchi! Let's dance!"

---------

"Well, my sister. Here we are."

Washu settled herself down at the bedside, slipping one hand into the pale, cool one that lay across the covers and squeezing it gently. "It's been too long, I know, but I won't abandon you again. I'm so busy these days that travelling out to Jurai isn't as easy as it might have been, before. But I'm here now, and we have some time."

She pursed her lips, glancing at her sister's white face, long black lashes curled across her cheeks as Tokimi slept on. Her thick brown hair had been braided and pulled back neatly out of her face and Washu could tell it had been styled with gentle, kind hands, someone having taken the time to add a white silk ribbon to hold the wispy ends together. Her brow was clear, the coronet of Kihaku having long since been removed, but the faint reddish marks of it's connection to her still mottled her skin, a reminder of all she had been through. Washu sighed, biting her lip.

"What would Father say, to see the two of us now." She wondered aloud. "You, who couldn't handle his burden, and me, who refused to try. We both failed him, Tokimi."

She held her free hand up in front of her face, eying the faint crackles and sparks of energy that flickered at their tips. For a moment they burned feebly, and then faded, and she sighed heavily, shaking her head as she lowered the hand to her side.

"Kihaku's gone and so is my magic, for the most part." She said slowly. "But sometimes I still think I feel it, deep down inside of me. If that's the case, Tokimi, you must be able to come out of this, surely? Kihaku might have stolen your soul, but if traces of my magic can exist without Kihaku, surely there must be some of you left, to come back to me and remember things the way they once were?"

"That's an unfamiliar sound."

The voice made Washu start and she turned, surprise crossing her face as she recognised her companion. He smiled at her astonishment, offering her a bow of acknowledgement as he came to stand on the other side of the bed.

"I did think that tonight Tokimi would be alone. Perhaps I underestimated the family bonds among the Kii, Lady Washu."

"Lord Tennan." Washu gathered herself, offering him a slight smile. "No, believe me, they've been lax for long enough. But like you, I thought tonight everyone would be busy with Sasami-hime's celebrations. I didn't realise you weren't attending - are you still so out of favour at court?"

"No, but a busy, stuffy hall full of people is the last place I want to be most nights." Seiryo said simply. "Strangely, visiting Tokimi is the most peaceful respite of all. Suki and I come here a lot, you know - although I think Azusa-heika has told you that we've assumed responsibility for her care in a direct sense now. It seemed only proper that we do so, considering everything - so I like to make sure our instructions are being adhered to properly."

Washu pursed her lips, eying him carefully as she gestured for him to sit down. He did so, meeting her scrutinous gaze with a quizzical one of his own.

"Well, what do you see, Washu-san?" He asked lightly. "I know what you're looking for, because I know what power Tokimi had. What do you see now, when you look at me?"

Washu laughed.

"You may be the only one on Jurai who understands the power for what it is and yet doesn't fear it." She said with a grin. "You're right in your assumptions. But you shouldn't worry about what I see. When I saw you in court that day, you were a man in conflict within yourself. I don't see the same conflict now. You are the same man - you still have ambition beyond your means. But I think you know how to master it better now. Or I'd hope so, considering the situation you put yourself in before."

Seiryo pursed his lips.

"You speak frankly to everyone you meet?" He asked softly. "Or just to Lords and Princes of Jurai?"

"Everyone, pretty much." Washu smiled unrepentantly. "But if you hadn't wanted to know, you wouldn't have asked me the question."

She shrugged her shoulders, sitting back in her seat.

"I'm grateful for what you and your sister are doing for Tokimi, Lord Tennan." She added gently. "It means a lot, especially considering the experience and the memory can't be a good one for you to hang on to."

"On the contrary, it helps to keep me in line." Seiryo said ruefully. "It was Suki's idea in the beginning - I'm coming to realise that most of the sensible ideas do come from her, when I bother to listen. I wasn't sure to begin with, but in the end she talked me around to her point of view. So long as we took care of Tokimi, I couldn't forget. And if I don't forget, I can't repeat the same mistakes again. She sees it as her new mission to school and retrain me, I think - events six months ago shocked her, and probably with good reason. In any case my family probably won't survive a second social onslaught. For the sake of appearances as well as my sanity, it's as well to keep Tokimi close."

He spread his hands.

"Besides, Washu-san, I know you protected my sister in court." He added softly. "Sasami-hime spoke to her, and Suki's since spoken to me, so I understand things I didn't understand that day. I know the droid Zero lied because you asked her to, and I know that you knew much more than you told the Emperor, when you took the stand. Since I didn't get a chance to say thank you to you then, I'll do so now. But you protected my sister, and I'd like to think that the Tennan family still have enough honour to reciprocate in kind. Tokimi will be well cared for, as long as she needs to be. You helped Suki, and I will do the same for your sister, whatever that may mean."

"Perhaps there is something to be said about the gentlemen of Azusa's court after all." Washu's eyes danced with amusement. "I appreciate that, Seiryo-dono. And you have my word that the information you're referring to will never leave my lips. Your secret - her secret - is safe and will remain so. I'm not in the business of digging up the past more than I can help. Believe me, I have more of it than I care to remember, and most of it is better off left in the dust."

Seiryo was silent for a moment, glancing at Tokimi. Then,

"Was that Kii, that you spoke to her in when I came?" He asked. Washu nodded, looking self-conscious.

"Yes." She admitted. "It means noone can eavesdrop on the things I want to say. I've never been good at sharing my soul, so it makes it easier, somehow. Whether she can hear me or not, Lord Tennan, I still want to try. And though it's been centuries since we last spoke, it's something that binds us both together. Noone speaks Kii now. Not any more. Only Tokimi and I are left. In a way it seems strange to form those words, after so long speaking other people's languages. But with her it seems the right thing to do. After all, I don't want her to remember what she was six months ago. I want her to remember who she was when she was still just my little sister."

"It's a strange sound." Seiryo acknowledged. He shrugged. "Maybe you should consider sharing your tongue. It would be a shame if it died out, considering all that your planet went through at Juraian hands."

"Feeling guilt for the actions of your ancestor now, Seiryo-dono?" Washu raised an eyebrow. "You needn't. His deeds aren't yours, after all. And you've paid for yours enough."

"Some would not say so." A pained look flitted across Seiryo's face, and Washu shook her head.

"Those are the people who don't understand how horrific Tokimi's magic really was." She said softly. "I do, and I know that nothing Azusa could do to you would have been worse than what you've had to face since Tokimi was defeated. Kihaku's magic was old and savage and ran deep into the core of any being who wielded it. Getting past that must have taken some courage and determination. Lesser men would have fallen, Seiryo-dono. That tells me that maybe your ambition isn't a failing. It's just been badly misplaced."

"You are the strangest creature I've ever met." Seiryo eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. "But it's nice to speak to someone in such candid terms about something which I will spend the rest of my life living down. It's safe to say I learnt more about myself than I did about anything else...unfortunately it turned out to be a very public lesson, and one which could have cost my poor mother her life from the shock, if things had become more serious. As it is, even now Suki and I have shielded her from the worst. She knows I was in some trouble, but that it was all resolved, and nothing came of it."

"How is the Lady Kaede?" Washu's expression softened. "I understand from Sasami-chan that her disease has no cure."

Seiryo shook his head, and Washu saw a faint glimmer of real pain touch his teal eyes. It was gone in a moment, however, and he spread his hands.

"We wait." He said simply. "And we hope to have her for as long as we can. There's nothing else to be done, Washu-sama. But she's comfortable, and both Suki and I are nearby, when she needs us to be. It's not as bad as it could be...all things being equal."

His lip curled slightly.

"After all, Father might still be here to dishonour her." He added bitterly. Washu raised an eyebrow, and Seiryo shrugged his shoulders.

"You know enough already for me to be candid in return." He said unrepentantly. "I had no love for my father and I have no regrets that he's gone. Regardless of the consequences, the world is a better place without him and so is the Tennan family."

"Sometimes I have the same thought about my father, also." Washu said pensively. "It's not always possible to love your family, even when they're blood to you."

She eyed him thoughtfully.

"I knew Senichi Tennan once, you know." She added. "And you remind me of him, more than I expected you to."

"Senichi? Really?" Seiryo looked taken aback. "You really are so old as that?"

"Yes, Seiryo-dono, I really am." Washu was amused. "Although he was a very old man, when I knew him. He granted me safe passage from Kihaku, when the planet was in uproar and I realised there was nothing else to do but leave. He wasn't tolerant towards my people, but he took me aboard his ship because I spoke Juraian, and it impressed him. I had to work for my place, but he did at least offer me refuge when I needed it. For all the wounds he and his settlers inflicted on my people, he still helped me when I needed help. Like you, he wasn't a bad man. His ambition just overruled his other instincts, that's all. When I saw you first, I saw the parallel. I'm glad to see you've moved the other way."

Seiryo looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he shrugged.

"That's Suki's influence." He admitted at length. "But in truth, Washu-san, I'm still haunted by Detective Makibi and what happened aboard the Yagami. It was a step too far...some things never go away."

"No, some things never do." Washu acknowledged with a sad smile. "But we learn from them and we grow. I'm glad things ended up this way, Lord Tennan. And that we met here tonight, even if neither of us expected to see the other."

"Likewise." Seiryo eyed her keenly. "I'm sure Tokimi's glad you're here, also. Wherever she is, she must be inside there somewhere."

"I hope so." Washu admitted. "But if she is, I don't know how to reach her any more than any of your Juraian medics can. Kihaku's magic is too old for the effects to be treated with modern Juraian techniques. And sadly I never took the time to learn the things Father wanted me to, so I don't know whether Kii techniques would have worked any better. We just have to wait and see, I guess. Wait and hope she comes out of it on her own."

"Well, if and when she does, Suki and I will make sure she's safe...that she has somewhere to call home." Seiryo promised. Washu nodded.

"Tell me, Seiryo-dono, why are you really here tonight?" She asked. "Even if Tokimi's room is peaceful, I don't understand why you'd avoid a celebration of such status and rank when you're working so hard to re-establish the Tennan name."

"Suki is there. As Sasami-hime's friend, she has more place there than I do." Seiryo looked rueful. "But if I'm honest, I still have limits and I keep to them to avoid shaming myself further. I'm too tired to socialise tonight, Washu-san. I'm drained and my head aches. I've Treasury responsibilities on the Council, and I have my own estate now to govern and run. They're big responsibilities and more important than showing my face at tonight's get together. So many people will be there anyway, they probably won't even notice I'm not. Sometimes I just need peace and quiet. Tokimi's room is generally the best place to go for that - as I told you, it's a respite."

"So even now, Kihaku's magic takes its toll." Sympathy flickered in Washu's eyes, and Seiryo shrugged.

"You take a gamble, you accept the losses." He said simply. "It improves. But I've worked hard to maintain a strong and resolute front since I returned to the Council. I don't want to stumble or be forced to withdraw in a way that will suggest I'm not up to my job. I have pride, Washu-san. And I do know my place."

Washu chuckled.

"Spoken like a true Lord of Jurai." She teased. "Oh yes, you'll be all right, Seiryo-dono. It might take time, but you will."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Well, so this is where you're hiding."

Tenchi stood in the entranceway to the Royal Maze, casting his eye across the grass towards the shadow of a figure curled up against the thick, densely grown thickets. She glanced up at his voice, and even though much of her expression was hidden from him, he was aware of a smile crossing her face. She got to her feet, flickering and blurring into nothing then reappearing at his side, grasping him playfully by the hand.

"Tenchi!" She exclaimed. "Were you looking for me? I thought you were bogged down with all that Juraian stuff, and I needed to get away from it. So many boring, stuffy people...bleh."

"I wanted to make sure you hadn't got yourself in trouble, throwing bets with palace guardsmen again." Tenchi said ruefully, turning her to face him and examining her expression in the dim light of the Juraian moon. "I remember Ayeka's wedding, and how you almost got yourself in big trouble for it. How you didn't get yourself caught then I'll never know - but I wasn't sure how much you'd had to drink tonight and I know you like a challenge."

"I'm not drunk." Ryoko dismissed his concern with a careless flick of her hand, offering him a smile. "I just got fed up with being gawked at and whispered about. There are some really offensive people at Azusa's court, and I'd had enough. It's nicer out here. The stars are better company, and there's nobody to bother me. Or, well, us."

"Ryoko, if you're thinking..." Tenchi began, but Ryoko laughed, shaking her head.

"I know where your room is and I can always come see you later, if I'm that bored." She said carelessly. "But the sooner we leave Jurai again, the happier I'll be. My blood might tie me here in part, but Earth is my spiritual home, without a doubt."

"I feel a bit bad for Sasami - like I abandoned her to the masses." Tenchi admitted ruefully, leading her across the grounds towards the shelter of an elderly tree, and pulling her down beneath it with him. "She was all set to come looking for you with me, but she got accosted by her mother who wanted her to play hostess with some family or other from the planet's southern hemisphere. Thirteen seems so young to be considered adult - even if it's only the first stage of the process. But don't you think so? Sasami's got enough on her plate without half the Juraian nobility trawling for her hand in marriage."

"Sasami has more sense than to fall for their blustering and posing." Ryoko said firmly. "Besides, not everyone is a kid at thirteen. And you've seen Sasami's future, Tenchi. You saw her as Tsunami - we all did. She's not such a child, not really. It doesn't seem that odd to me - although I'd hate the idea that I was on the open marriage market as soon as I reached that age. It's one thing Haru has some sense over, if you ask me."

"But she can't be politically involved in the Council until she's eighteen." Tenchi objected. "Yet she can be married off and all of that kind of stuff now? It doesn't seem quite...well...logical. She can be a political _pawn_ but she can't have a say in how things are run. Don't you think it's even a little bit messed up?"

"Sure, but Jurai _is_ messed up." Ryoko snorted. "And Sasami has a say in things...Azusa is too scared of Tsunami now not to listen to her. So it works out. She's a smart kid, anyway. She's not a baby and she's not a fool. She'll be fine, Tenchi. This is the world she grew up in, after all. Claustrophobic it may be for you or I - but she can handle it. She's always had to, just like Ayeka. And look how her situation worked out - she's got power, influence and a husband on her arm which takes her neatly out of my way. Couldn't be better!"

"Ryoko, you're not still fixating on Ayeka as competition, are you?"

"No, Ayeka's not competition." Ryoko shook her head. "But when she was betrothed to Takeru, it took her out of my mind as such, in some respects. And then you and I had our talk and everything changed between us. I don't find things to fight about with Ayeka now...it's weird, like we've buried it between us because there's nothing left to fight over. We've had more in common than we have in opposition since she married Takeru and I had you all to myself. Funny, really...but it's worked out for the best for everyone. I mean, you wouldn't have been happy as King of Jurai, so you couldn't ever have had Ayeka, anyway."

"I think if you truly love someone, you do whatever you have to do to keep them." Tenchi said thoughtfully. "I don't know, Ryoko. This is new for me too. But when I think of all the things we've been through and the sacrifices and changes we've both made, it's a lot of stuff to handle. Yet here we still are - playing hooky from Jurai's social scene, under the stars once more. Somehow this seems pretty much like our world, don't you think? Undefined in so many ways, but it makes sense anyway."

"You're philosophical tonight." Ryoko observed, sending him a look of amusement. "Maybe it's _you_ who's been drinking."

"No, not really." Tenchi coloured. "But you know what I mean. At least, I hope you do."

"I think so." Ryoko relented. "And you don't have to abstain on my account, Tenchi. Drinking is good for the soul - at least, a little bit doesn't hurt anyone. Besides, tonight is a party and tomorrow we go home. Might as well enjoy yourself, while you can."

"We're out here, and they're in there." Tenchi objected, but Ryoko's eyes twinkled and she slipped her hand into the trunk of the tree, pulling out a bottle of sake and setting it down between them as she flipped it open. Tenchi stared at it, then up at her in disbelief.

"Did you take that from the palace?" He asked at length. Ryoko nodded, taking a healthy swig of the clear liquid.

"I figured that it was a nice night to drink under the stars." She agreed. "But it's even nicer to share it with you, Tenchi. You thirsty? It's not like you'd be breaking any laws."

"You're flying tomorrow." Tenchi eyed her doubtfully. "Are you sure you should be drinking tonight?"

"My body processes alcohol more quickly than yours. I'll be fine and besides, Ryo Ohki has flown with me pretty much on the floor before now." Ryoko's eyes danced. "With the exception of my original crash to Earth, we usually get around it. Don't worry, Tenchi. This is only one bottle and besides, I'm going to share with you. So here. Try some. For Juraian alcohol, it's not too bad."

Tenchi sighed, but took the bottle from her, taking a contemplative sip as he did so.

"You're a bad influence on me." He said resignedly, and Ryoko laughed.

"And you're a good one on me. It balances." She told him playfully. "We go together pretty well, all things considered."

"Well, it's been six months since Tokimi was defeated, and you and I are still together. That has to count for something." Tenchi acknowledged, placing the bottle back down on the grass. "We've had no worlds to save or spirits to defeat or anything of that nature to handle in that time. Sure, we've been called to the Earth's aid - you more than me, in truth - but all in all we've had as normal a six months as we're probably ever going to have. It's a good sign, I think...that we can still function as a couple even when disaster isn't on the horizon."

"I know." Ryoko looked pensive, retrieving the bottle and taking another mouthful. "To be honest, a little part of me worried about that. I mean, we get so much craziness involved in our world...you wonder whether half of our connection is an adrenalin rush and not anything else. But it's as you say. Earth's been pretty quiet all in all. I even have a job, such as it is - even though I'm not sure how long I want to stick it. It's quite scary, in a way. We're almost committed."

Tenchi grinned, nodding his head.

"Makes you think." He agreed. "And as for your job, Ryoko, I'm not sure the Earth knew quite what they'd got. The fact you'd saved a lot of human lives in that Osaka night club went in your favour, but I don't think they totally absorbed what space pirate meant. Still, at least you can openly admit to your magic without having to hide it away. They've accepted your being on the Earth and you have all the paperwork you need now to stay there safely. And you're being paid for your trouble, too - you should like that. Being paid to zip through stars should be right up your street."

"Yeah, guess it is." Ryoko dimpled, nodding her head. "All right. You have a point. I'm just not sure I'm cut out for positions of responsibility. Still, we'll see. It is nice, having my own money. It means that nights - and days - in Osaka are a lot less dull when you're in class, that's for sure."

"Term starts again soon." Tenchi remembered. "Time seems to pass so quickly sometimes – even considering what Washu's done to Earth's time axis, it still seems to speed along."

"At least not all of your friends think I'm hellspawn now." Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Just some of them – and I can live with that."

"Sakura's always been too curious for her own good – so I guess I'm not surprised she relented in the end. Not once she realised the Earth was accepting you as a good guy, and all of that." Tenchi looked thoughtful. He smiled sheepishly. "And Ikeda just wants to know if you have any pretty alien friends he can get together with. Honestly, if I have to deal with one more conversation about what alien girls are 'like'…"

Ryoko chuckled appreciatively.

"So that's how his mind works." She said, a twinkle in her amber eyes. "Did you tell him, Tenchi?"

"What do you think?" Tenchi raised his eyebrow. "I told him they were more than he'd ever be able to handle."

"And so we are." Ryoko said pensively. "It takes a special kind of guy to hold our notice for more than a minute."

"Well, if Jurai and Earth continue to foster this friendship, he might eventually find that out for himself." Tenchi shrugged his shoulders. "Always assuming any Juraians will want to come stop on the Earth. Grandpa was a special case…I'm not sure it holds much appeal for most people."

"I don't know. Everyone likes a relaxing holiday in the back of beyond." Ryoko smirked. "Who knows? Perhaps you're right."

"We'll be back flitting between Osaka and the mountains again for a few weeks, once term begins." Tenchi observed. "You sure you don't mind tagging around with me, Ryoko-chan?"

"Of course not." Ryoko shook her head. "I think I'm nomadic by nature, anyway...must be all that tribal blood Washu pumped into me. Either way, I get restless easily - that's why I like space travel so much as I do. Travelling to Osaka and back is nice, and I suppose the pirate instinct is always there. It's never good to have only one base to hide out in - this way, I have two."

She grabbed him playfully by the hands, kissing him and taking him off guard as she pushed him back onto the grass. "And both of them have you, which is an added bonus."

"What are you doing?" Tenchi fought to sit up, but Ryoko laughed, holding him down and touching the tip of his nose with a teasing finger.

"Do you think I'm so drunk or so brazen as to seduce you right here, where anyone might see?" She asked playfully. Tenchi raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, yes." He admitted, finally managing to work himself free and pulling himself upright once more, leaning back against the tree trunk. "And sometimes I find it very hard to say no to you. So if you don't mind, we'll stop right there. You know we have to keep it down whilst we're on Jurai."

"You're so finicky when we're here." Ryoko sighed, eying him reproachfully as she scooped up the sake again, taking another gulp. "As if it matters that the Emperor is your great grandpa. When it comes to it, Tenchi, he's my great uncle, albeit a couple of times on the wrong side of the sheets. I'm not fussed what he makes of us...why are you? It isn't like you're in line to the throne now."

"No, but there are certain things I'd rather not make a public exhibition of." Tenchi told her gently. "Regardless of where we may or may not have taken our relationship when we're at home, Ryoko - even if there's noone around, this is an exposed spot and I won't embarrass Ayeka or Sasami or anyone else by abusing their hospitality."

"Blah. You're so Juraian sometimes." Ryoko looked resigned. She held out the bottle. "Here. You might as well drink up - you need to relax. I mean, seriously, Tenchi - it's just you and me and noone else is here. Everyone else is locked up in that stupid function room, and it's so nice, under the stars. Don't you think it would be romantic?"

She proffered the bottle again, and after a moment Tenchi took it.

"You're not getting me drunk." He warned her, taking a sip then setting it down. "It's warming and nice, but...Ryoko, you're teasing me, aren't you?" As he caught sight of the gleam in her eye. Ryoko laughed, leaning back against the tree as she nodded her head.

"Oh Tenchi, you're so much fun to play with sometimes." She said affectionately. "Even I'm not so forward as to try and seduce you in Azusa's front garden. I mean, seriously...even space pirates have their limits."

"I should have guessed." Relief coursed through Tenchi and he shook his head slowly, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "Even after all this time, I'm still too gullible to your tricks and your games."

Ryoko grinned unrepentantly.

"But that's the fun of it." She told him. "Eventually you'll learn - but till then I have to have my fun."

She sighed, gazing up at the tree's spreading branches.

"It's nice, our life together on the Earth." She murmured. "Don't you think so? Of all the futures I could have imagined when I was a pirate, Tenchi, this was never one of them. To think I'd be living with an absconded Prince of Jurai on the most remote planet the universe has to offer. That I'd give up raiding and looting to settle down and be respectable...even responsible for communications between the Earth and planet Jurai. I wouldn't have seen it, not in a million years. But somehow, it seems right that this is where I am. With you...like it's where I was always meant to end up. Somehow crashing onto the Earth was fate at work...I really believe that, sometimes."

"And I thought you just said it was too much sake that made you crash Ryo Ohki into the mountains that time." Tenchi eyed the bottle, then glanced at her. "Hey, how much of this did you drink, Ryoko? It's almost empty."

"Some." Ryoko dismissed it with a shrug. "And besides, fate works in mysterious ways, my Tenchi. Who's to say it wasn't fate that made me get drunk that day, and crash my ship to the Earth? If that's so, this stuff is probably verging on sacred or something. In which case, drinking it can't be a bad thing. Can it? After all, it's part of the reason we're together now - right?"

"Sometimes you are impossible." Tenchi eyed her in amusement, taking a final sip from the bottle and handing it back to her. "Here. If it's so sacred, you should finish it off. At least I know from past experience that it usually takes more than one bottle to send you to sleep."

"Yes, much more than one bottle." Ryoko agreed absently, obediently draining the vessel's contents and then returning it to the inner core of the tree. "There, and now noone will ever know. But all joking aside, Tenchi, I mean what I said. I didn't even really stop and think about love or that side of things until I met you. And then for a while it was all I could think about."

Tenchi flushed red at this, shaking his head.

"I've never completely understood what it is you see in me." he admitted. "I don't complain about it - but I don't always get why you gave up so much just to stay on the Earth. I know you had so much fun as a pirate."

"Had. Past tense." Ryoko shook her head. "It's empty when you know there's something else. I could take everything I ever wanted, Tenchi. Noone could catch me or get in my way. But you know what? After I left you on Jurai that first time, when I thought I'd never see you again, I just felt lonely. I didn't want to raid or steal or do any of those things I'd always got a kick out of. I just wanted company. Yours, to be specific. Can't explain how or why, but you changed everything - just like that."

She shrugged, looking rueful.

"Or maybe it was all that Earth sake." She acknowledged with a sheepish grin. "Either way, it's true. I think that you understood me better than anyone had before, and tried to give me the benefit of the doubt. You were good to me and that's something I never had before."

She touched his cheek pensively.

"You were the first man to ever love me." She murmured, shuffling closer to him as a cool wind whipped through the tree's branches. "And the first man to ever steal this pirate's heart, too. You see what I mean, Tenchi-kun? It really was fate."

She kissed him gently, and Tenchi slipped his arm around her shoulders, a warm glow settling inside of him at her words. Strange as his life had become, he reasoned, he knew that he wouldn't change it for anything now.

"Tenchi!" 

The sound of a voice broke them apart and Tenchi glanced around him anxiously for the speaker, pulling back from Ryoko's embrace as he struggled to see through the darkness. Ryoko sent him a long-suffering look, then flickered out of view, re-appearing level with the tree's branches as she drew her hands together, light sparking from them and illuminating more of the surrounding area. As she did so, Tenchi could make out the form of his father heading towards them and he sighed, pulling himself to his feet and dusting down his formal clothing, all too aware suddenly of the dust and leaf litter that clung to him.

"Tenchi? Ryoko? Are you out here?"

"I'm here, Dad." Tenchi raised his hand in a wave. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"There you are." Noboyuki reached them, casting a glance up at Ryoko, then offering his son a smile. "Ayeka asked me if I could find you. The Emperor is going to make some kind of a speech and I think she feels you should both be there...I think it has something to do with the links with the Earth, although I really have no idea."

He pursed his lips.

"Ayeka didn't seem pleased when she thought you'd snuck out." He added, eying his son curiously. "What have you two been up to, to get leaves all over you like that? Come on, Tenchi - you can tell me. After all, if you can't share with your father, who can you share with?"

"We've just been talking, Otosan, that's all." Ryoko dropped down at Tenchi's side. "Sorry to disappoint, but even I draw the line at seduction in the middle of the Jurai Palace grounds."

"Ah, I see." Tenchi stifled his resignation as he saw a look of disappointment cross his father's face. "Oh well, then. You better dust yourself down, or people will start to talk about it, anyway."

"He has a point, Tenchi. You're covered with the things." Ryoko eyed him critically, and Tenchi sighed.

"Well, if you will roll me in the leaf litter as part of your game, then are you really surprised?" He demanded, oblivious to the expression that his words brought to Noboyuki's face. Ryoko smirked, shaking her head.

"Well, you could go change." She suggested. "Or you could let me dust you down, Tenchi...although it might take a while, and I can't guarantee where it might lead."

"Stop it." Tenchi glowered at her, and the pirate laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, don't say I didn't offer." She said, unperturbed. "I'll hover on ahead and tell them you're coming, shall I? That you had an urgent, um, call of nature...or something?"

"Ryoko..." Tenchi began, but Noboyuki nodded his head, casting the pirate a grin.

"That's a good idea, Ryoko." He agreed. "Leave Tenchi to me...I'll make sure he turns up looking presentable."

"All right, then. I'll see you soon." Ryoko hesitated for a moment, resting her hands on Tenchi's shoulders as she kissed him gently on the lips. Then she was gone, and Tenchi found himself alone with his father in the dark once more.

It was Noboyuki who broke the silence.

"Well, my boy, and I didn't think you had it in you." He said. Tenchi sighed.

"Dad, we weren't doing anything." He said wearily. "Just talking, like Ryoko said."

"And rolling in the leaf litter?" Nobyuki demanded. "You don't have to lie to me, Tenchi. I can see from the state of your clothes. Besides, you shouldn't be ashamed. Ryoko's an attractive young woman. You'd be strange if you didn't want to think about those things - even in the grounds of the royal palace."

"Dad." Tenchi shook his head in exasperation. "Oh, never mind. You won't believe me, so I'll save my breath. Can you just help me get this mess off? I'd rather the whole of Jurai's upper classes didn't think I'd been romping around the garden in some wild orgy, anyhow."

"Well, I can try." Noboyuki squinted at his son in the moonlight. "But to be honest, Tenchi, I was looking for you for another reason, also. When Ayeka told me she didn't know where you were, I offered to find you because I knew Azusa's speech was coming up. But it will be a few minutes yet - and I've been thinking on this for some time. Besides, I don't think you're going to get clean here in the dark. Come inside and I'll see what I can do for you. My room is closer than yours, and noone will see us if we take the back way."

"Now you've confused me." Tenchi frowned, his brows drawing together in confusion. "You've been thinking on what, exactly? Stalking me when I'm alone with Ryoko, in case you catch us doing something we shouldn't? Because I don't need a chaperone, Dad...and no offence, but if I did, I'd rather it wasn't you."

Noboyuki laughed, shaking his head.

"Believe me, my son, I see nothing wrong with a healthy young male like you making the most out of life." He said reflectively. "No, it's something quite different. Will you follow me? I've something I want to show you. I brought it with me, because here seemed as good a place as any to discuss it with you. But we've been so caught up in everything - I was half thinking I'd have to take it back home with me, and try and tackle you there."

Tenchi stared at him, and Noboyuki shrugged.

"This way." he said simply, and in silence the two men made their way inside, Noboyuki leading the way into the small, comfortable chamber that had been his refuge since they had arrived on Jurai some days earlier. Tenchi eyed his reflection in the mirror pool, shaking his head slowly.

"You have a point. I do look like I've been romping." He said sadly. "Isn't there a clothes brush or something? Dad, give me a hand here? I can't reach the back."

"In a moment, Tenchi." Noboyuki rummaged in the drawers of his oaken cabinet, finally retrieving what he was looking for and sitting down on the bed. He indicated for Tenchi to join him and at length the young prince did so, eying him curiously.

"Well? What is all this about?" He asked.

"This." Noboyuki held out the object he had been seeking, and Tenchi took it, turning it over in his hands. It was a small box, black in hue, and as he examined it he realised it was a jewellery box, albeit old and marked with the name of a store that had long since closed down. He frowned, glancing at his father for a clue as to what to do. Noboyuki gestured towards it.

"Open it." He said softly. Tenchi did so, a gasp of surprise escaping his lips as he registered the contents.

"But...this was Mom's engagement ring." He murmured. "She used to wear it...all the time!"

"It was, and she did, and she'd be gratified you remembered. It's a long time ago, after all." Noboyuki smiled. "Before she died, Tenchi, she entrusted that to me. She wanted me to give it to you whenever I knew the time was right. I'm not sure what made her so certain you should have it - I always felt that she had suspicions about your future, even before we knew about your grandfather's past and what it really meant. Almost as if she had a memory of something - a fleeting hint of things that were to come."

He shrugged.

"Either way, she told me that you should have it, once she'd gone." He added softly, and Tenchi could see the emotion in the back of his father's eyes. "So that one day, when you found the one you wanted to spend your life with, you could pass it on and make a new connection with it. Even though ours was broken, Tenchi, your mother and I were always very happy. I think she felt that, if you had her ring, it would bless your own future bonds in the same way. And, thinking about things as I have been for a while, I think it's time you had it."

Tenchi stared at the ring, for a moment struck speechless by his father's words. Then, very carefully, he removed it from the box, turning it over in his hands.

"Mom...wanted me to...?" he faltered, then, "But Dad, why now? I don't understand. And why on Jurai?"

"Why now?" Noboyuki raised an eyebrow. "I know you've always been slow with women, Tenchi, but surely even you must have noticed that you have a particularly attractive young lady hanging on to your arm these days. One who's risked her life for you on many occasions and who's already taken to calling me Father recently, without either of you even realising it. Please tell me I taught you better than that!"

"Ryoko?" Tenchi stared, then bit his lip. "Dad, we've not even talked...I mean, Ryoko and I have never...that is to say..."

He trailed off, and Noboyuki laughed.

"I know, but it seemed the right thing to do anyway." He said. "And now I've done what your mother asked of me, it's in your hands as to what you do next. I'm not giving it to you in order to tell you what choices to make. I'm giving it to you in case you decide to make choices - now it's up to you."

"I see." Tenchi glanced at the ring once more, then, very carefully, he returned it to the box. "Why here, though? Why not on the Earth?"

"These days you're so busy on the Earth I feel I hardly see you." Noboyuki looked regretful. "And besides, considering your mother's origins, it almost seemed prophetic...to bring it to Jurai and give it to you in the midst of all these celebrations. I've kept it for a long time, Tenchi. It's good to finally keep the last promise I ever made her in this life."

"I had no idea she'd even thought about it." Tenchi looked pensive. "I wonder what she knew."

"Well, I couldn't tell you. She never really said anything at all." Noboyuki admitted. "It was just then, before she...went."

He bit his lip, and Tenchi was aware of his father's emotions once again.

"Maybe coming that close to death helps you see things others can't." He added. "Either way, she seemed to know you'd need it. So I gave her my word, and she seemed happy, then."

"Mother." Tenchi clutched the box tightly in his hands. "I'll take good care of it, Dad. Don't worry about that. And I'll remember what you said, about it being up to me."

"Then I've done my job." Noboyuki looked relieved. "And now that I have, let's see about making you more presentable. Azusa is not the kind of man you want to offend, and we're really going to be cutting it tight if we don't get a move on soon!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Somehow it always feels better to be flying away from Jurai than it does towards it."

Ryoko leant on the ship's spherical controls, turning to send her companions an unrepentant grin as she steered the jagged craft quickly and deftly through the expanse of space. It was the next day and, after many heartfelt goodbyes, the small party of travellers had boarded Ryo Ohki, bound at last for the Earth and - to all intents and purposes - a return to the strange kind of normality that had become their every day lives.

"I still think thirteen is too young to be considered any kind of an adult." Tenchi sat down against the wall of the drive room, a frown on his face. "Even if she is a princess."

"Different worlds deal with things in different ways." Washu turned to send him a smile. "Be glad that her father has some sense and isn't planning to auction her hand in marriage to the highest bidder."

"Haru strikes me as the kind of man who'd run anyone through if they dared try it." Ryoko snorted. "Or he would, if he knew how. He's way too protective of his kids and that's for sure."

"I don't know. Having an overprotective father isn't always a bad thing, when you're a planetary goddess in training." Washu shrugged. She came to her daughter's side, glancing out beyond her to the stars.

"Maybe you're just jealous because I'm not more overprotective of you, my dear." She suggested, sending her companion a mischievous look. "Is that it? You'd like Mom to pay more attention to what you do and who you see?"

"Washu." Ryoko grimaced back at her, shaking her head. "Stop it. I'm trying to fly this thing and we'll wind up off course if I have to blast you across the drive room."

Washu tut-tutted.

"And is that any way to speak to your mother, Ryoko-chan?" She said mock-disapprovingly. "I can't think where you learnt your bad manners. It must be from your father's side of the equation."

Ryoko merely glowered, and Katsuhito laughed.

"It will be good to be back home again." He said reflectively. "Space travel is all very well, but for this old man it's starting to become a chore."

"There's someone else who doesn't like overprotective fathers, huh, Grandpa?" Tenchi shot him a teasing glance, and Katsuhito nodded his head in rueful acknowledgement.

"There are times when I think it better we stay so far apart." He agreed. "The Earth has made me old beyond Juraian years, but Father treats me just the same as he did when I was a reckless youth, chasing across the galaxy with Haruna to start my life anew. He has a very long memory."

"Well, for my part, I like Jurai." Noboyuki reflected. He grinned. "There are so many pretty ladies on that planet. I'm glad that the Earth and Jurai are now friends...maybe more of them will come visit us now."

"You have one thing on your mind, Noboyuki-san." Washu scolded. Noboyuki shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it never hurts to take advantage of all the social opportunities you get." He said unrepentantly. "Perhaps you should try it too, Washu-san. After all, you're a pretty woman too...you should make the most of it while you can."

Washu looked startled, for once discomfitted by Noboyuki's words, and Ryoko caught her expression, letting out a low chuckle.

"You're going to have to deal with that from hereon in, _Mom_." She said playfully. "You're not a child any more. People are going to look at you and see a young woman, even if you are a million years old or something. There must be some guy in the universe who's desperate enough to try it."

"Well, I used to be very effective at repelling unwanted attentions." Washu re-gathered her composure, shooting her daughter a nonchalant grin. "I'm sure I can manage to do it again, if the need arises."

She rested a hand on Ryoko's arm.

"After all, Ryoko-chan, I wouldn't be so cruel as to inflict a step-parent on you when you're at such a delicate age." She added wickedly.

"_Washu_." Ryoko grimaced, rolling her eyes. "You never let up, do you?"

"Did you think I would?" Washu opened her eyes wide with surprise.

"No, but I'm starting to wish you'd taken a one way trip to Kihaku six months ago, if this is how you're going to be all the time." Ryoko muttered. "We already covered this whole mother-daughter ground. You didn't raise me, I didn't grow up with you and you told me yourself I don't need a mother. So that being the case, will you just back off and let it go? Bad enough you're still living in the store cupboard...I don't need the mock-mother routine and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Washu was silent for a moment, then she shrugged.

"Children can be so cruel when they grow up and fly the nest." She said philosophically. "So ungrateful. Oh well. Such is a parent's lot, I suppose. What do you think, Noboyuki-san? They forget they're born, sometimes."

"Washu, how was Tokimi, when you went to see her?" Tenchi interrupted hurriedly, before his father could be drawn into commenting on the scientist's words. "Is there any improvement at all?"

"No, none." The humour faded from Washu's eyes and she shook her head. "But she is at least well cared for. I feel very helpless where she's concerned - like there's something I should be doing, but can't because I don't know how. It's not something that happens to me very often - but there it is. Everything scientific that could be done to raise her has already been done. Seiryo-dono thinks it's a matter of time, and maybe he's right...but there's still that chance she'll never wake up again."

"Seiryo Tennan?" Ryoko eyed her sharply. "You consort with the enemy now, do you? Have you forgotten how he abducted Tenchi and tried to kill Kiyone?"

"He was possessed by Kii magic." Washu dismissed it with a flick of her hand. "He's not the same person now, I assure you. Besides, he and Suki-kyou have taken very good care of Tokimi since Kihaku's destruction. In my view, that's more than penance enough for the things done before. We all make mistakes, little Ryoko. As I'm sure you know only too well. I have no ill feeling for Lord Tennan or his family, regardless of the past. And you shouldn't either. Life's too short for long term recriminations."

"Well, you go all lovey dovey on him, then." Ryoko shrugged, turning her attention back to the controls as she navigated her way through a meteor belt with the minimum of turbulence. "Me, I'd sooner blast his head off than spend time talking to him, so it's probably a good thing I didn't see him during our visit. It could have been messy."

"I'm glad you didn't, either." Tenchi said ruefully. "Washu is right, Ryoko. Past is past and Seiryo Tennan deserves the chance to learn from his mistakes."

"Exactly." Washu flashed him a smile. "After all, none of us are exactly spotless, when it comes to the crunch."

"Some of us don't try to be." Ryoko shrugged. "But we don't go around attempting to murder people at random, and I'm sorry, it'll be a long time before I forget Kiyone the way she was when Mihoshi first sent out that distress flare. You might not want to remember, Washu, but I do and I don't forgive people who hurt my friends so easily. Kiyone's lucky she survived. Had she died, I might have been hunting Tennan down myself."

"Kiyone is better now." Washu smiled. "A little skittish, perhaps - she's been through a lot and it'll take her time to re-assess her priorities. But she's strong and she'll be fine. I have a lot of faith in her force of character."

Ryoko opened her mouth to respond, then frowned, faltering as she glanced down at Ryo Ohki's radar.

"Hey, it looks like we've company." She said quietly. "That's strange...we've barely seen a ship since we set off, and now I'm picking up several at the same time, all heading in our direction. Ryo Ohki, can you scent any of them, see what they're about?"

The ship sent up a yowl of agreement, and Ryoko leant on her controls, frowning as she squinted at the screen in front of her.

"I just have a feeling..." She faltered, and Washu came to her side, peering over her shoulder at the greenish blips that flickered to announce the presence of other ships. She frowned.

"Four or five of them." She observed. "Seems more than a coincidence to me, Ryoko-chan. What do you think? Have we stumbled into a busy space lane by mistake, or is it something more sinister you're thinking of?"

"I don't stumble into space lanes." Ryoko bristled. "My navigation skills are better than that, thank you very much."

"Well, and I'm sure you had plenty to drink last night, so forgive me for doubting how sharp your senses are." Washu said flippantly.

"What do you mean, something more sinister?" Tenchi was on his feet, anxiety crossing his expression. Washu turned, sending him a thoughtful gaze.

"Ryoko thinks they're pirates." She said simply. "And she might be right."

"Pirates?" Noboyuki looked confused. "But wait a minute, why would they be following us? Ryo Ohki is a pirate ship, after all. Wouldn't they know that Ryoko is one of their own?"

"No, not necessarily." Ryoko said grimly. "There are a lot of pirate groups out there, Otosan, and many of them have their own agendas and loyalties. They're not all allies, and there can be some vicious battles between them. Not to mention the fact that Ryo Ohki isn't the pirate ship she used to be. I've turned my back on that life and it can't have escaped their attention that I did. That makes us fair game...if it is pirates we're dealing with."

"How do we tell? They're still too far back to see them clearly." Tenchi squinted out of the window. "Please tell me we're not going to have a fight, Ryoko? I just want to get home and relax before I have to think about studying again - why can't we ever take a nice, relaxing trip through Deep Space?"

"Well, it keeps life interesting." Katsuhito remarked philosophically. "But Ryoko is a good pilot. No doubt she can outrun them if need be. You worry too much, Tenchi."

Ryo Ohki howled again at that moment, effectively preventing Tenchi from replying, and Ryoko glanced up, her brows knitting together.

"Daluma." She muttered. "Oh, brilliant. Just what we didn't need."

She brought her hand sharply over the controls, causing the craft to veer and shift violently onto a new course. Tenchi let out a yell as he slipped and fell headlong into his surprised father, sending both of them tumbling to the floor, while Washu gripped instinctively onto Ryo Ohki's angular frame. Only Katsuhito kept his footing, turning to gaze out into the expanse of space behind them.

"Daluma." He murmured. "Well, well."

"What does that mean?" Tenchi picked himself up, holding out his hand to pull Noboyuki to his feet. "And can you warn us next time you're going to do that, Ryoko? We'd like to finish the trip in one piece, if you don't mind."

"In that case, shut up and don't question my flight techniques." Ryoko snapped. "Better you fall over because I'm steering sharply than we have an encounter with a bunch of thugs who blow up spacecraft for fun."

"Who or what is Daluma, Ryoko?" Washu asked curiously. "You sound like you know them - or him."

"I do." Ryoko grimaced. "The Daluma Guild is one of the many pirate organisations out there. They're also the most notoriously violent...with a tendancy to fight first and ask questions later. They're not people you want to stop and chat with, basically."

The craft swerved again, as Ryoko doubled back on their route, swinging off to the left.

"And there's no way they'll just ignore you, for old time's sake?" Noboyuki asked apprehensively. Ryoko snorted, shaking her head.

"Not a chance." She said darkly. "There are no old times. I told you, there are a lot of pirate gangs and guilds. I was never officially aligned with any, but Haki was. He broke away from the Daluma guild and betrayed them for his own ends before he even met me. He fought for his own interests after he acquired Karasu, but they didn't forget his betrayal. Let's just say we had more than one run-in with Daluma ships in our time flying together. He killed a lot of Daluma members in that time, and the grievances grew between them. It's known I flew with Haki. They know Ryo Ohki as one of his ally ships. Whatever my new role and wherever I am now, they will still see me in those terms. I'm not just fair game. I'm the enemy."

"Oh, great." Tenchi ran his hands agitatedly through his hair. "Do you think we can lose them?"

"I'm doing the best I can." Ryoko returned. "Believe me, I'm not anxious to be caught by them either."

"The Daluma guild are notorious even as far as Jurai." Katsuhito remarked absently. "They became so bold that they even, occasionally, fought and killed military patrol vehicle crews, just as a matter of amusement. Very few pirates are foolish enough to invade Juraian space. But the Daluma guild are not swayed by good sense. Yes, I know the name."

"That makes me feel a whole lot better." Tenchi glared at his grandfather. "It's great to know that everyone's familiar with the bloodthirsty group of slaughtering monsters that are currently trying to catch up to us."

"Tenchi, calm down." Washu said firmly. "There's nothing we can do except try to lose their trail. Providing, of course, that they know we're here. They were heading in our direction, but Ryo Ohki is small and light. She may have evaded their sensors yet."

"No, I don't think so, Washu." Ryoko shook her head. "This area isn't usual Daluma territory. In fact, it's been fought over by Daluma and Balta pirates for as long as I can remember. Seems more likely to me that they came looking for a fight - or they heard that we would be heading back to Earth today. It wouldn't surprise me if they massed here simply to track us down - after all, Haki is out of reach, but I'm not. And they like blood."

"Can we go any faster?" Noboyuki demanded. Ryoko shrugged.

"Ryo Ohki's almost at full speed as it is." She said softly. "Technically speaking, she's faster than any Daluma craft. But if we go too far, they'll split and surround us, and cut us off when we leave this sector for the next one. I know pirate tactics, Otosan. They may not have speed but they have the advantage of numbers. We're going to take a wild detour and hope for the best...there's one place that very few pirate ships like to go, and I'm going to head for it. Hopefully it will put them off chasing us."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tenchi looked relieved, and Ryoko sent him an affectionate smile.

"Trust me, Tenchi." She said softly. "I'm not going to be caught that easily."

"A zone pirates don't like, huh?" Washu raised quizzical green eyes to her daughter's. "Where might that be, Ryoko?"

"Sargasso." Ryoko said flatly, manoeuvring her craft deftly around some floating space debris.

"Sargasso?" Tenchi frowned. "Where's that?"

"The spaceship graveyard." Washu said quietly. "We came through it on our way to Jurai, when Kagato had control of the planet and we were trying to evade being captured. It's a dark, dead place full of rotting ships. Some people say it's haunted."

"That was where we found that ghost ship." Tenchi remembered. "And Sasami disappeared...we thought we'd lost her."

"That's right." Washu nodded, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "I'm almost glad of the detour. There were some interesting spectral readings the last time we were there - it's just a shame I don't have my equipment with me."

"We're trying to escape bloodthirsty rogues, not conducting a scientific analysis." Ryoko said bluntly. "Sort your priorities out, Washu. Bad enough we have to go back through that zone as it is without your meaningless babble."

"Are you superstitious, Ryoko?" Noboyuki asked. "Do you think it's haunted?"

"I'm not afraid of it, if that's what you mean." Ryoko shook her head. "I don't care about ghosts, and if there are any, well, I'll just blast their sorry dead butts outta my way. But Ryo Ohki doesn't like it. She was imprisoned here once - the Galaxy Police have a confinement unit somewhere in the vicinity of the Sargasso Sea, disguised as a wreck to try and fool anyone who wants to break in. After we were arrested, they locked her up in it - cold, dark place. She remembers, and she doesn't like the memory. I feel bad enough making her do this, so I'd like to get it over with as soon as possible."

"Poor Ryo Ohki." Tenchi put a hand to the side of the spaceship, who mewed in response. "But noone's going to lock you up this time."

"So if you're not scared of ghosts, Ryoko, why will these Daluma people be?" Washu pursed her lips. Ryoko shrugged.

"There are old stories about raiding partners laid to rest in Sargasso." She said simply. "Pirates gather and when they do, they tell tales that get more and more imaginative and exaggerated the further on the rounds of drinking go. Many old ships in Sargasso are the wrecks of pirate vessels, moored there because there's nowhere else for them to be. Their owners are long since pulled into police custody, or killed in action. But they do say that a bonded pirate can never really be killed. That the spirits still walk the ships, waiting to claim the souls of those they once flew with. Guilds are especially prone to superstition. After all, when you consider that each guild can have forty or fifty members..."

She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

"That could add up to a lot of ghosts, if things went badly in battle." She added flippantly. "Either way, very few pirates choose to fly through Sargasso."

"Well, your raiding partner is trapped in sub-space, so I can see why it doesn't bother you." Washu looked amused. Ryoko nodded, a faint smile touching her lips.

"Exactly." She agreed. "Haki is still alive, even if he is imprisoned and unable to get free. So no. I'm not scared."

"That's spooky, though." Tenchi pressed his face to the window. "I hope you're right. I hope it does deter them."

"Well, it's the best shot we have." Ryoko said grimly. "There's another reason I don't think they'll follow us and that's the magnetic pull of the dead craft. When Yagami flew through here, something stalled the engine and it took a while for Kiyone to get it moving again. Maybe it was ghosts, I don't know - but it's well known that flying through here is dangerous for the health of your spaceship. At least, it is for your average craft. Most sensible pirates wouldn't risk their motors by flying this way. It just doesn't make sense to get stranded in the middle of nowhere."

"Ryoko's right." Washu agreed. "Sargasso does have a strange kind of vortex. Many crafts have lost engine power and have been forced to call for outside assistance to rescue them from even the edges of Sargasso. I don't know what caused Yagami's power outage, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was the same kind of magnetic energy Ryoko just mentioned."

"And that won't affect Ryo Ohki?" Katsuhito asked softly. Ryoko shook her head.

"Ryo Ohki doesn't work on the same principles." She said, shooting her mother a wry look. "She's part organic, and her motors aren't tied in with magnetic coils. Her mechanics are immune to the pull of Sargasso's field...so we shouldn't have any problems."

"Well, of course not." Washu shrugged. "I know what I'm doing when I build a spaceship, Ryoko-chan."

"Well, there's only one way to find out if you do." Ryoko said grimly. "All right, Ryo Ohki. You know where we're going and what I want to do. Make for the Sargasso Sea - full speed. We can hide out among the wrecks until they've lost interest in us and gone away. All right?"

Ryo Ohki emitted a determined squeal and the ship jerked forward as she increased her tempo, sending Tenchi grasping for the sides of the ship once more.

"Ryoko, I wish this ship came with seats!" He exclaimed. "How is it you don't fall over when that happens?"

Despite herself, Ryoko laughed.

"Well, Ryo Ohki and I are used to the thrill of the chase." She admitted, as a surge of adrenalin pushed through her senses. "Normally it's the Galaxy Police we'd be trying to evade, but there's a certain excitement to being on the run."

"I'm glad someone is enjoying it." Tenchi muttered. Ryoko shook her head.

"I don't like being chased by Daluma pirates." She said frankly. "But we'll lose them in Sargasso. You'll see. They won't follow us there."

At that moment Ryo Ohki's communications screen flickered into life, and a scarred, battleworn face glared into the cockpit of the small craft. Beady eyed glinted from beneath his silver hair, and his lips were set in a thin, cruel line. He glowered at Ryoko, venom in his expression, and despite herself Ryoko felt indignation well up inside of her.

"Well, Ryoko, so you're running scared, are you?" He spoke in dark tones, his accent unfamiliar and thick. "Are you really so sure you can evade us?"

"Count on it." Ryoko raised glittering eyes to his cold ones. "Or have you forgotten the last time you and your scum tried to bring me down, Shank? If I were you, I'd turn back now. I'm not easy pickings...and Ryo Ohki doesn't like being hunted down."

The pirate's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.

"This time you're mine." He warned. "You can't outrun me forever."

With that the screen went abruptly dark, and Ryoko muttered a string of unrepeatable words under her breath. There was a moment of silence in Ryo Ohki's drive room, then,

"I guess we can rule out the idea that they don't know we're here." Washu said flippantly. Ryoko scowled.

"What gave you that idea?" She demanded, bringing her hand roughly across Ryo Ohki's controls as she spoke. "I told you. Pirates don't forget things so easily."

"You knew him." Tenchi came up behind her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What did you mean, the last time?"

"Oh." Ryoko grimaced. "It was a long time ago. There was an exchange of fire...some of the Daluma pirates got sent off track and wound up right in the middle of a Galaxy Police patrol. Several were arrested and charged with multiple space offences. Most of them were killed when Headquarters was destroyed by Kain - although even if they hadn't been, they wouldn't ever have seen the light of day."

"You led them into a trap, didn't you?" Washu asked softly. Ryoko nodded.

"Of course." She agreed. "Why do you think the Galaxy Police are there? To protect the universe? Not when you're a pirate. No, then they're there to manipulate to your own ends. If they take home a healthy stake of Daluma pirates, they don't bother with you. That's how it works...and they should have known better than to come after me."

She flexed her fingers.

"Whatever Haki was, he taught me well."

"Well, now this guy's after your blood." Tenchi grimaced. "So maybe it wasn't such a smart scheme."

"He was after it anyway." Ryoko shrugged. "That's Tarant Shank - he's one of the captains in the guild. He's powerful, arrogant and greedy. And he's always picking a fight with someone or other. He crossed my path a few times when I was with Haki, and then a couple of times beyond that. He considers everyone to have committed a personal insult against him. His father was involved in the Daluma guild as well, as was his brother. Both of them were shot down by Karasu. He's not the kind to forgive."

"Haki sure killed a lot of people." Washu observed. Ryoko nodded her head.

"All of that happened before I flew with him. When he betrayed the Daluma guild and took off with Karasu." She responded. "But yes. He did."

"I can see something up ahead." Noboyuki pointed, and Ryoko raised her gaze, nodding approvingly.

"We're almost there. Good girl, Ryo Ohki." She said with a smile. "Even Shank isn't likely to come too deep into Sargasso...his brother's ship is here, as is the burnt out remains of his father's. He's superstitious as any of them. He won't cross Sargasso space."

Ryo Ohki mewed, and Ryoko patted her controls.

"I know, you don't like it either." She said gently. "But we have no choice, Ryo Ohki. Trust me, okay? You know I'm right."

Ryo Ohki did not reply, but she surged herself forward, closer and closer to the red-orange markers that flashed up the boundaries of the Sargasso Sea. Beyond the greyish hulls of dead ships loomed, pale and spectral against the blackness of space, and Ryoko frowned.

"They're still following, but they've slowed down." She said, glancing at the radar. "Guess they think I'm bluffing. Well, time to tell them I'm not. You know this area, Ryo Ohki. Don't falter. Let's move it."

"It's turning into an interesting sight-seeing trip." Katsuhito observed. "I've heard many stories about Sargasso - but I never had the chance to properly see it when we came this way the last time."

"Tree-ships don't lie here, do they?" Tenchi looked startled. Katsuhito shook his head.

"Jurai tree-ships are honoured on Jurai. They're never abandoned in the mists of space." He replied. "Military bugs and vessels, yes. Probably there are many. But the bond between a Prince and his ship is too strong...even after the death of the master, the ship is treated with the utmost care. You've been to the Old Palace of Jurai, my son. You've seen the dead forest, where Azaka and Kamidake lay sleeping for so long. That is where Tsunami's children sleep also. That is their final resting place - honoured vessels of Jurai."

"That's why that place was so creepy." Ryoko shivered. "I did wonder. I'm not usually freaked out by dead tree stumps."

"Well, they have to rest somewhere." Katsuhito shrugged his shoulders. "And in the shade of the Knights' tree seemed as honourable a place as any."

"I think it's a nice touch." Washu looked approving. "Due respect given to a well crafted spaceship."

"Exactly that." Katsuhito nodded his head. "Only those trees that are shamed - like Souja - are forbidden to rest there."

"This place is creepy enough without talking about my father's dead ship." Ryoko said firmly, as she navigated her craft carefully between the rusting, twisted remains of two ships. "Let's leave off the stories until we're safely through, okay? It's a big enough detour between here and the Earth as it is - and I want to concentrate."

"The radar screen has gone quiet." Washu peered over her shoulder. "I guess you were right, Ryoko. Pirates don't like Sargasso."

"I'm often right. People just don't listen to me." Ryoko sounded indignant, and Tenchi laughed.

"I listen." He assured her.

"So do I." Washu shrugged. "But it does help when you make coherent sense, masume-chan."

"Don't call me that." Ryoko glowered at her mother. "I'm not a child."

"You're my child." Washu was unperturbed. "Concentrate on what you're doing, else we'll hit a wreck. And then Ryo Ohki will have a bruise for a week."

"Oh, shut up." Ryoko grimaced, but obediently returned her attention to the minefield ahead.

For a while they drifted carefully between the remains of old spacecraft, as Ryo Ohki set about leaving a confused and jagged vapour trail in her wake. Eventually, Ryoko called on her to stop and they drew to a halt alongside the painted bulk of one of the vessels. It was large and, although areas of it had rusted and decayed, it was big enough to hide Ryo Ohki from view. Ryoko nodded in satisfaction, stepping away from the controls as she moved to peer out into the darkness.

"We'll wait here a while." She said. "Just in case they're surrounding the edges, hoping I'm heading straight through. We're in no hurry, after all - Ryo Ohki's stamina is pretty good, and we're in no danger of losing engine power here. Sooner or later they'll have to withdraw - they're wanted crafts and it's dangerous to stay too long in one zone of space. With the Galaxy Police having a containment vessel here, they won't want to spend too long in these parts."

"How long is too long?" Tenchi asked hesitantly. Ryoko smiled, gripping him by the hand.

"Long enough to have a break." She said simply. "We could go exploring the wrecks, if you liked. You know, if you were bored."

"We're not leaving the ship." Washu held up her hands. "You and I might not need to breathe to live, Ryoko, but Tenchi and Noboyuke-san both do, and most of these vessels haven't been oxygenated for a long time. It's risky. You don't know when you might end up in an airless pocket."

"Spoilsport." Ryoko pouted. "Fine. We'll stay here."

She dropped down into the pilot's chair, slipping her hands behind her head. "But it never bothered you when we went looking for Sasami."

"When we went looking for Sasami, we went looking on a craft that still had it's interior fairly well sealed." Washu shot back. "Do you think I'd have let anyone board it if it had been otherwise?"

She gestured towards the craft that shielded them from view.

"That one has holes all across the stern. It's probably a death trap."

"Fine." Ryoko shrugged. "Keep your hair on. We'll stay. It was just an idea."

"I'm not in any hurry to go hunting ghosts." Tenchi admitted. "Bad enough we're number one on a pirate's hit list."

"It's sort of ironic, really." Ryoko reflected. "After so long being a pirate, I'm playing cat and mouse from the other side of the equation. But at least I know if the Galaxy Police show up, they're on our side. Being on the right side of the law has its advantages sometimes."

"You think?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. Ryoko laughed, nodding her head.

"Well, it has you." She teased. "Don't worry, Tenchi. A little while longer, that's all...and then we'll see if we can't sneak out the back and make a safe passage to Earth without them even knowing we've gone. If we're smart, they might be sitting ducks for a police patrol anyhow. Especially if they wait for us where we no longer are."

"Stop thinking like a pirate." Washu scolded. "We just want to make it back to the Earth in one piece. No smart games."

"Washu, if Shank tries it on with me, I'm going to give him a lesson he doesn't forget." Ryoko scowled. "Believe me."

"Sounds like there's more to that acquaintance than just rivals in battle." Katsuhito observed mildly. Ryoko bristled.

"Trust me, there isn't." She said frankly.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi looked quizzical. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Ryoko nodded her head. "I just don't like him. Him or any Daluma pirate. They're all scum. And if the Galaxy Police catch up with them, so much the better."

"You've tensed right up." Tenchi observed. "Is Grandfather right? Do you know this Shank guy some other way?"

"No, I don't." Ryoko shook her head. She sighed. "I just hate him for his methods in battle, that's all. When I was young and green, he took me hostage aboard his ship, in order to avenge himself on Haki. At the time, I didn't really understand all of the politics involved. I was maybe fourteen or fifteen, and it scared me - not that I let them see it. Even then I knew better than that. But they weren't nice - I think they would have killed me, regardless of whether or not Haki came to retrieve me. Some of the Daluma men intimated they wanted more than to kill me."

She shrugged.

"There aren't many women in deep space." She added softly.

"Ryoko..." Tenchi's eyes widened, and Ryoko shrugged.

"Oh, don't worry. They didn't get their chance." She said dryly. "They didn't realise that this little girl came equipped with powerful energy blasts and they took some scars for their trouble. And I had help escaping in the end. The ship was raided by the Balta, and in the chaos, I managed to get free. I snuck aboard the Balta ship when it left, and I managed to summon Ryo Ohki to come rescue me. She did...it was the first time we flew together. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, and nor did she. But we got away. Together. In some ways it was a defining moment in my life as a pirate. At that moment, I knew nobody was ever going to take me off guard again. Nobody was ever going to treat me like a prisoner or a slave...I was Ryoko, and I was going to call the shots, not submit to them."

"But you still went back to Haki?"

"We were bonded." Ryoko shrugged. "Plus, even though he was a jerk, I was safer with him then than I was on my own. So yes. We went back."

"What about these Balta, Ryoko?" Katsuhito turned at that moment, eying her quizzically. "If they and the Daluma are rivals, as you suggest, are we likely to meet up with them on our way out of here?"

"Well, the Balta aren't quite like the Daluma." Ryoko shrugged. "Yes, there's always a chance. But there's one thing I didn't tell you. The captain of the Balta ship that raided Shank's craft was Kyo Komachi - one of the few female pirate captains in any guild, and one known for her fairness. If they had wanted to keep me prisoner then, they would have done so. But she and one of her lieutenants helped me escape. I was a child, and she didn't want to involve children in the fights of adults. So she let me go. They both did. The Balta are different, because of her. They might be ruthless in their battles and raids, but they have honour. If we met them, I think we'd stand a better chance talking our way out of the situation. I might never have been aligned with a guild, but after I thought Haki died, I sometimes crossed paths and made deals with Balta pirates. I could trust their word, after all - honour among thieves and all of that."

"All these complicated social rules in deep space." Noboyuki remarked. "And we've been happily sitting down there on the Earth without a clue that it goes on."

"Well, that's the Earth for you." Ryoko grinned. "But it is part of the planet's charm."

"Ryoko, the radar!" Washu exclaimed at that point, and Ryoko was on her feet, glancing down at the black screen with a growing sense of confusion and alarm.

"Damn him!" She exclaimed, banging her fist down on the control panel and causing her ship to let out a reproachful mew of protest. "I thought for sure we were okay here."

"He's still following?" Alarm flooded Tenchi's features and Ryoko nodded her head.

"Or someone is." She agreed grimly. "There are only two blips now - Ryo Ohki, are they Daluma ships?"

Ryo Ohki yowled, and Ryoko's eyes darkened. She nodded.

"It's the Daidalos, all right." She muttered. "Shank's ship. Damn him. Of all places, I didn't think that he'd come..."

Before she could finish her sentence, there was a tremendous explosion and Ryo Ohki rocked backwards as the ship that, a few moments earlier had been their shelter blew into multiple pieces, shards of twisted metal shooting off across the galaxy. In the clearing smoke, Ryoko was aware of Shank's vessel, sleek and well kept despite the many scars of space battle that littered the front and sides, and she clenched her fists.

"Ryo Ohki, fire!" She exclaimed. "Fire at will!"

Ryo Ohki let out an eerie battle cry, as her lasers glowed with red energy, firing several beams towards the approaching enemy ship. Shank returned in kind, and it was all Ryoko could do to sweep Ryo Ohki around so that the blasts glanced harmlessly off the side of the craft.

"Fire again, Ryo Ohki. Keep firing." She said determinedly. "We're not going to let Tarant Shank beat us, are we?"

"How is he even managing it?" Washu stared. "The vortex should have stopped him...what kind of ship is he running, to avoid the problems of the magnetic energy?"

"Who cares?" Ryoko snapped. "He's here, that's all that matters to me. Ryo Ohki! Another volley, quickly!"

Ryo Ohki obliged, and an explosion from the rear of Shank's craft told the pirate that she had hit one of his engines. She grinned, nodding her head.

"That's what I want to see." She said decidedly. "All right, Ryo Ohki. Cripple his craft, if you can. Leave him stranded here. If he can't move, he can't chase us. Do you understand?"

Ryo Ohki yowled, sending out a fresh round of fire which glanced across the paintwork of Shank's vessel. As she did so, Shank's face loomed up on the communication screen once more, glaring at her through malevolent eyes.

"You thought you could hide among the ghosts of Sargasso?" He asked. "Do you really think so, Ryoko? The Daidalos isn't the ship she once was - Ryo Ohki isn't the only vessel who can speed through here unscathed. As you're about to find out."

"You're not afraid, then, of being dragged down by the ghosts of your past?" Ryoko shot back. Shank's eyes flickered slightly, then determination flashed across them.

"I can't kill Haki, but I will kill you." He threatened. "You and your pathetic crew. What kind of a pirate turns traitor anyway, Ryoko? It will give me a lot of pleasure to finally kill you."

"Well, you're going to have to wait a little longer." Ryoko snapped. "Ryo Ohki, prime your lasers. I don't care whether the Daidalos is made of gold. We're going to give it a remodelling you'll never forget."

"That's what you think." Shank's eyes glinted once more. "See you in hell, Ryoko."

The screen went dark once more, and another blast shook Ryo Ohki, causing the cabbit to let out a scream of pain. Red lights flickered across the ship's control panel, and Ryoko let out a cry of rage.

"Bastard." She exclaimed. "Ryo Ohki, are you all right? That was a low act - distracting me while he attacked from behind!"

"Her lasers are shot." Washu bit her lip, glancing at the flashing lights. "He's taken out her arms, Ryoko. We need to get her out of here - as fast as we can. We're defenceless otherwise - that's what happens when you stop to settle old quarrels with friends like this Shank guy. Ryo Ohki is hurt."

"Her lasers?" Fear flickered in Tenchi's eyes. "But then how are we going to...to fight?"

"We can't." Washu said shortly. "And judging by the manner of Shank's sneak attack, he means to do more than blow us up. I think he wants to take prisoners...else he'd have aimed for the central drive room when he fired that shot. He's nullified Ryo Ohki's threat, that's all."

"Nobody is taking any prisoners if I can help it." Ryoko said firmly. "Don't worry, Ryo Ohki. We'll get you safely back to Earth. Just hold your line, all right? And trust me. We'll be okay, just don't drop your guard."

"What are you going to do?" Tenchi demanded, but Ryoko ignored him. Glancing at her hands, she flickered out of the drive room, re-materialising in the space between Ryo Ohki and the approaching pirate ship. Oblivious to the panic she had caused in Ryo Ohki's drive room, she faced the Daidalos head on, spreading her hands out to her sides as she threw up a forcefield around herself and her ship.

"You're not going to take me that easily." She muttered. "Kill me, if you've the guts...or leave me alone. But I'm not the pirate I was when you took me prisoner last time, Shank. Believe me."

The pirate craft fired a round in her direction, but Ryoko just clenched her fists, pulling on her strength to increase the forcefield as she did so. Through the glass of the ship she was sure she could see Shank's angry, frustrated face, and she smiled, offering him a wink as she flickered energy from her fingers, sending a blast of her own out across the divide. It ricocheted off the side of the main thruster, causing a deep score in the metal, and for a moment the ship's engine faltered and choked as the vibration shook through it. In her head, she was all too aware of Ryo Ohki's pain, and it gave her renewed strength as Shank tried once more to blast her forcefield apart. She held it firm, determination in her amber eyes as she called on all of her strength to maintain it.

Then, from somewhere among the rotting hulls of the Sargasso, she heard an unearthly howl as another craft hoved into view, sending up a bevy of battle calls as it came closer and closer to the battlefield. Ryoko turned her head, staring in disbelief as she made out the jagged edges of an all too familiar ship.

"Ken Ohki." She whispered. "Oh, just what I need...a pirate and a bounty hunter on my back when Ryo Ohki's lasers are dead!"

She pulled her hands together, her forcefield faltering as she summoned her magic, preparing for an assault from either angle, but for a moment Shank's attention seemed to have been distracted by the sudden intruder on his tail. He sent a bevy of fire in Ken Ohki's direction, which the ship promptly returned, placing himself neatly between the Daidalos and Ryo Ohki as he sent barrage after barrage of laser fire in the pirate's direction. Ryoko stared.

"She must have been the other ship on the radar. Nagi was following Shank, hoping for his reward." She murmured. "But what will she do, now she's found him and me? I don't carry a reward on my head any more - but will it even matter? Focus, Ryoko. You have a hurt ship to guide out of here, and you need to take care of Shank's engines once and for all. One blast should do it - Ken Ohki's weakened his hull enough and you can push him back. You know you can! You're stronger than you've ever been...he's not going to take you or Tenchi out today!"

Buoyed by her pep talk, she summoned every inch of her magic, and it shone and grew between her fingers, spreading into a ball of prickling, crackling electricity as she launched it determinedly in the direction of the Daidalos's underbelly. At the last minute, Shank seemed to realise her action, and his own lasers glowed with an eerie light as a bolt of energy shot across space to meet it midway. As the two flares met, there was a tremendous pulse of energy, and Ryoko was aware of Ken Ohki's yowl. Then the force of the pulse pushed her back towards her craft, engulfing both of them in light. She fought to raise her forcefield once more, but it was to no avail, and as light overwhelmed her, she felt the world around her spinning. For a moment all she could feel was Ryo Ohki's terror at the back of her mind.

And then, all was black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_The hold of the Karasu was in darkness._

_In the furthermost corner, the small girl opened her eyes, blinking as she struggled to acclimatise her vision to the dim slits of light that danced across the floor from the level above. She hunched back against the cool steel wall, hearing the sound of footsteps as he moved around overhead, occasionally blotting out the light as he did so. She bit her lip, swallowing hard as she tasted blood on her tongue._

_So this was it. The start of her new life._

_She reached out a tentative hand into the darkness, feeling an apprehensive swell of emotion in the back of her mind as she made contact with the soft, furry mass that curled up at her side. The cabbit raised her head, watching her with eyes tinged with the faintest hints of amber, and as they met gazes, the creature let out a soft, feeble mew. The girl frowned, scooping her companion up and holding her more securely in her arms._

_"It's all right, Ryo Ohki." She said determinedly. "This is going to be fun...you and me, we're going to be pirates. He promised us we would be - and we're going to have a whole lot of adventures. No more sneaking around the streets of Jurai or trying to make money peddling items at those stupid, stuck up fairs. No more rules, Ryo Ohki! And no more stuck up, stupid Royal Family of Jurai! We're going to be free from all of that. Isn't it exciting?"_

_Ryo Ohki eyed her for a moment, then rested her head against her companion's arm. She did not respond, and the girl frowned, a troubled look entering her own golden eyes._

_"Don't be like that." She scolded. "Maybe the ship is creepy. But at least it's somewhere to be, isn't it? We've both wanted an escape for the longest time, you know that. Now we have it. We'll be fine. You'll see. And we do have each other. It will be fun, to be a pirate."_

_At that moment, the door of the hold was flung open, spilling light into the empty chamber and the girl jumped, shielding her eyes from the unexpected glare. In the background, she could hear the sound of laughter, and then someone placed a hot, heavy hand on her shoulder._

_"Well, Ryoko." He spoke in smooth, gentle tones, but there was a hardness in them that kept Ryoko on her guard. "I think you've waited long enough. Karasu is well beyond Jurai's perimeters now. You won't be going back there ever again, I do assure you - there's nothing on that waste of space planet for you. This is the start of a new future - aren't you excited?"_

_"I'm ready to do whatever it takes." Ryoko faced him determinedly, forcing her fear to the back of her mind as she met his gaze head on. "I want to be a pirate, Haki-san."_

_"So you do." Approval flickered in the man's ice blue eyes, and even though the lower half of his face was cloaked by a sheath of cloth, Ryoko could tell he was smiling. He held out his hand, gently pulling her to her feet. "Come with me, my child. We have many things to do before the night is out. If you are truly determined to become a pirate, and to be my apprentice, there are things you have to learn. Otherwise there's no way you can stay aboard my ship - do you understand?"_

_"I understand." Ryoko nodded, allowing herself to be led up out of the storage hold and up the dark, rickety steps to the bridge of the ship. From there, they entered Haki's own private quarters, and he gestured for her to sit down, shutting the door and fastening it carefully behind him. Ryoko did so, perching apprehensively on the end of the room's narrow bed, and Ryo Ohki leapt down from her mistress's grasp, curling up beside her as she watched the pirate with wary eyes. Haki glanced at the creature for a moment, then a smile flickered in the depths of his cold stare._

_"Well." He mused. "And I'm sure you don't even know what treasure you've already brought into my little domain, Ryoko-chan." _

_"Treasure?" Ryoko looked startled. "I haven't got any treasure, Haki-san. There's just Ryo Ohki and me. That's all. I don't have any money...I've never had any of that."_

_"Ryo Ohki." Haki reached out a finger to touch the cabbit's reddish gem, but Ryo Ohki flinched back, letting out a wary hiss. "Is that what you call her? Tell me, Ryoko - how did you come by your little friend here, anyway?"_

_"We met on Jurai." Ryoko frowned, scooping Ryo Ohki up in her arms and hugging her protectively. "We're friends, Haki...she and I, we stay together. You can't get rid of her - I won't let you."_

_"I have no intention of doing anything of the sort." Haki's eyes glittered with amusement. "In fact, quite the opposite. You have no idea, do you, Ryoko...what it is you've got in your possession? I had understood they were all destroyed - all but one, anyway. But here you are, and with a pirate ship to match. I must say, I have been lucky. I've not had a haul like this one in quite some time."_

_"I don't understand." Ryoko looked confused. "What do you mean, a pirate ship? And what do you want to do with Ryo Ohki?"_

_"Ryo Ohki is a spaceship, Ryoko." Haki said simply. "She's not mature yet, of course, and she hasn't realised her full potential. But she will, you can count on that. Karasu is a fast ship - he and I fly smoothly together since I borrowed him from the kind people at the Science Academy. But even working so closely together, he is mechanical, and he has his limitations."_

He glanced at Ryo Ohki again.

"I'd heard of these crafts - these living ships. But I never had cause to see one until I encountered a bounty hunter on an errand to hunt me down. I killed the man, of course, but the ship eluded me before I had a chance to lay hands to it. It's plagued me, these months since, that I wasn't able to pull that craft to heel. But now it doesn't even matter. You are here, and Ryo Ohki with you. That makes me very happy indeed."

_"Ryo Ohki is a spaceship?" Ryoko blinked. "Really?"_

_"Really." Haki agreed softly. "And I thought it was just a myth, that a cabbit ship could be bonded to one so young and vulnerable. Still, even hardbitten pirates learn new things sometimes. I suppose what they say is true. The bounty hunter's apprentice **was** his daughter, and it **was** her ship they flew in. Somehow she did have the gall to take the ship out of my range, even while her father's body cooled at her feet. Well, then. That makes for interesting thinking. I suppose it places us on even terms, Ryoko-chan, for when Ryo Ohki does mature, she'll be a formidable weapon in her own right. Yes, you've pleased me already, and you've not even been fully initiated into the ways of a pirate yet."_

_"I have?" Ryoko stared. Then she smiled. "Well, good. Because I mean to be the best pirate, Haki-san. I don't have family and I don't have roots. I can go anywhere and do anything and I'm sick of rules and regulations tying me down. I want to fly through the sky and see stars and planets I've never been to. And I want to be rich and have all the things they never let me have on Jurai. I hate not being good enough for any of them! I want to show them all how good Ryoko can really be!"_

_"Well, of course you do." Haki patted the girl gently on the shoulder, nodding his head indulgently at her outburst. "And I have high hopes for you, as well. You have a certain...potential, my child. Something about you."_

_He slipped a finger under her chin, raising his gaze to hers as he stared searchingly into her confused eyes. Then he nodded his head._

_"Something striking." He added softly. "You have very pretty eyes, Ryoko-chan. An unusual colour. Your mother's eyes, perhaps?"_

_"I...I don't remember." Ryoko faltered. "I don't think so. Okaa-san had dark eyes. I...I think. She...she died. I don't know what happened to her. She just...died."_

_"Ah. Then they must be from your father." Delight flickered in Haki's expression, and he nodded. "Which is all to the good, as far as I'm concerned."_

_He released his touch, fumbling with something in his belt and Ryoko gasped, shrinking back against the wall of the ship as she registered the glint of a blade._

_"What...what are you doing?"_

_"Relax, my child." Haki glanced at her, then shook his head. "I'm not going to hurt you. At least, not much. I've offered you sanctuary and fellowship aboard my craft, have I not? I wouldn't have brought you here, if I didn't think you had something valuable flowing through your veins."_

_"Then what...the knife...?" Ryoko faltered, and Haki's eyes crinkled with amusement._

_"You did say you wanted to be a pirate?" He murmured. Ryoko nodded._

_"Yes...but..."_

_"Words are never enough." Haki cut across her, placing his finger on her lips. "Pirate vows are sealed with blood, not promises, Ryoko. This is the true test. Are you really sure this is the life you want? Once you choose it, you can never walk away from it. Once it's done, it's done forever. This is who you will be, from now until the day you die. And this bond will mark us as partners, master and apprentice, until the end of time. Do you still want this life, Ryoko-chan? Speak now if you don't."_

_Ryoko hesitated for a moment, aware that Ryo Ohki's thoughts buzzed anxiously against her senses. Then she frowned, resolution flickering in her amber gaze. She nodded._

_"This is what I want." She said firmly. "I want to be a pirate. Besides, I have nothing else to go back for, anyway. Just being cold and hungry and hated by everyone because I'm different."_

_"Then you're half way to being a pirate already." Haki laughed. "Very well, then. Hold out your hand to me, Ryoko. Palm up, and do not flinch."_

_Ryoko swallowed hard, gathering her courage. Then, very slowly, she did as she was bidden, holding her small, pale hand up to his rough, weatherbeaten ones. He held it still, and then, with the decisive, swift movement of someone who had done his fair share of slitting throats, the pirate drew his blade cleanly across her palm, spilling red blood out across her skin. Ryoko closed her eyes against the sudden sting of pain, determined not to cry out. She felt Haki's grip loosen, hearing a second sweep of the blade as she felt something warm press down onto her injured hand, clasping it tightly and firmly. She opened her eyes, seeing the bloodstained knife now lay on the bed beside them, and Haki's own hand was clamped over her own. In a flash she understood, raising startled eyes to him as a sense of dizziness and shock began to overwhelm her._

_"You...you cut me." She murmured. "And then..."_

_"Your blood and mine, Ryoko. That's all." Haki released his grip, and Ryoko saw the mark in his own scarred hand. "Now we are bonded. Now you truly are a pirate's apprentice, ready to fly out into the beyond and make the world bow at your feet."_

_"That sounds like fun." A faint smile touched Ryoko's lips, as she sat back more comfortably against the ship's cold wall. "I'm going to make everyone remember me, Haki-san. I'm going to be Space Pirate Ryoko, now...aren't I?"_

_"Yes, my dear. You're going to be that and so much more." A glint touched Haki's expression and he extended a long, worn finger, running it pensively across the wound on her hand. A strange flare of energy seemed to cross their bond, as his magic seeped gently into her bloodstream, making her ever more dizzy and confused with every passing moment. Thoughts fluttered and danced around her mind, confusing her until, piece by piece, they began to drift apart, disintegrating into the heavy blur that comprised her senses. At length he drew back, and Ryoko raised her uninjured hand to her head, trying to make the world stop spinning._

_"What was that?" She whispered. "Why...what did you do?"_

_"I welcomed you to the life of a pirate." Haki said simply. "And released you from your ties - the past that can only hold you back. Stand, Ryoko-chan. Here is the start of a career noone will ever forget."_

Ryoko opened her eyes, the memories dancing and dispersing to the back of her confused brain as she struggled to remember where she was and what had happened. For a moment she almost imagined herself aboard the dark ship Karasu, but as her vision became clearer she realised that she was in an unfamiliar room, decorated in bold, strident shades. On one wall, the colours of the Balta flickered in an imaginary breeze, and she frowned, struggling to comprehend what was going on. Where was she? What had happened to her? And where was Ryo Ohki?

She pulled herself painfully up into a sitting position, glancing down at her hands as she assessed the damage. Surprisingly, there was none, although she felt like she had been put through a mangle and it took a moment or two for her to find the strength to stand. Using one of the room's old fashioned wood-framed chairs as a support, she surveyed her surroundings in more detail as she tried to piece together what had happened.

"Ryo Ohki?" She whispered, searching her mind in vain for the flicker of cabbit energy that usually throbbed at the back of her brain. "Where are you? Where am _I_? Why can't I get a signal through to you?"

She frowned, flexing her fingers as crackles of energy flickered from them.

"I still have my magic." She said aloud, bemused. "So why can't I find my ship?"

She closed her eyes, forcibly rewinding her memory. Painstakingly she tracked through each one, one at a time, and a frown crossed her face as she recalled the chase through space. 

"We were in Sargasso, and the Daidalos attacked us." She murmured. "He shot Ryo Ohki's lasers down, I went out there to protect her and...did I hallucinate the rest? Was that really Ken Ohki or just a figment of my imagination? There was so much light, and the Daidalos exploded...no...no, it was just the laser, firing at me, trying to take me out."

Her lip curled in derision.

"But it takes more than that to slay the Space Pirate Ryoko." She muttered. "Sorry, Shank. You're disappointed this time. But where in hell am I? Those are Balta colours...were there Balta pirates out there in space too, today? I suppose there's no reason to suppose there weren't...but even so, I don't understand. Ryo Ohki's radar...there were two ships. Daidalos and Ken Ohki? Or Daidalos and a Balta craft...and Ken Ohki wasn't there at all? I wish I'd caught a clearer look, but it sounded like Ken Ohki and it looked like..."

She trailed off, as she reached the room's only porthole, gazing out with confusion at the black expanse of space that surrounded her. Instead of the dead hulls of rotting spaceships, she saw only the occasional lump of debris, and in the distance she was sure she could make out the familiar glittering track of a particular constellation. She bit her lip.

"So where am I?" She asked again. "And how long have I been here?"

"Ryoko?"

A voice from the doorway startled her and she swung around, surprise entering her amber eyes as she surveyed her companion. He was a little older than she remembered, but the thick fair hair and teasing blue eyes were unchanged by their time apart. He was dressed casually, in plain attire that spoke of no overriding loyalty to any particular clan, but about his neck he wore a slim pendant, carved with the symbol of the Balta Pirate Guild.

He smiled at her bewilderment, bowing mock-seriously in her direction.

"I'm glad to see you've regained consciousness." He added, as Ryoko struggled to find her tongue. "I wasn't sure if you were hurt badly or not - you even had me worried. I thought the Space Pirate Ryoko was indestructable. Or so you often used to say."

"_Hotsuma_?" Finally Ryoko gathered her senses, confusion in her expression. "But I don't understand. I thought...those are Balta colours. Are you flying with them again now? Is this a Balta ship?"

"No, this is my ship. I'm not with the Balta, although I keep on good terms with them still." Hotsuma offered her a playful smile. "It never hurts to remember your bonds, even when you've flown so far away from them."

"But where did you come from? Where's Ryo Ohki? What's going on?"

"Ryoko." Hotsuma bit his lip, and a troubled look entered his gaze. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but Ryo Ohki was destroyed."

"Ryo...Ohki?" The words hit Ryoko like a splash of cold water and she fell back against the wall of the room, suddenly feeling weak. "But...that's not possible...not my Ryo Ohki. And Tenchi...Tenchi...what about Tenchi?"

"Who's Tenchi?" Hotsuma looked confused, even as Ryoko turned her gaze back towards the porthole. "I wish I didn't have to be the one to break it to you. But, all joking aside, you're lucky you survived at all."

"No." A sudden stab of irrational anger flooded Ryoko's system and she wheeled on her companion, flinging herself against him and pinning him up against the wall. "No, you're lying to me. You _must_ be! Ryo Ohki can't be destroyed. She has regenerative powers, and besides, she's strong. She's stronger than that. She can't be...they can't be..."

She faltered, and Hotsuma gently released himself from her grip, shaking his head.

"There's nothing left of Ryo Ohki to regenerate." He said softly. "Her power gem was destroyed also. I looked for it, Ryoko. But it was gone. It was all gone. I'm sorry."

Helplessness washed over Ryoko at this and she sank to the floor, tears in her eyes.

"But...Ryo Ohki and I have been together...forever." She whispered faintly, disbelief in her tones. "And Tenchi...Tenchi was aboard her. And Washu. And...and you can't be right. Hotsuma, please tell me this is a dream. It's some kind of a nightmare...please! I didn't...I can't...you can't be..."

"Who is Tenchi?" Hotsuma repeated softly. Ryoko bit her lip.

"A man I care about." She responded. "You have to be wrong. Hotsuma, you don't understand. Tenchi can't die. He just can't. And..."

"You already know what I'm telling you is the truth." Hotsuma interrupted her gently, shaking his head. "Because you can't feel Ryo Ohki any more, can you, Ryoko?"

Ryoko gazed up at him, anguish on her face as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry. She was a fine ship." The pirate observed. "But really, you should just be grateful that you're alive at all. You very nearly weren't. Daidalos isn't the ship she used to be - she's been massively upgraded, and very few ships can stand up to her sheer power these days. That you faced her and lived is something to hold on to at the very least. You're a pirate. You know that pirates take losses as well as gains. But you have your life. So long as you have that, you can always begin again."

"I'm not a pirate. Not any more." Ryoko shook her head numbly. "And Tenchi..."

"Whoever was aboard the Ryo Ohki died when she blew up." Hotsuma cut across her firmly. "And it will do you no good to dwell on it. You're in shock - I know you are, because I know how it feels to lose a ship you're so fond of. But you and Ryo Ohki were bonded far more closely. I realise it's a blow."

"This...isn't Gai'En." Ryoko glanced up at this, staring around her as if seeing the room for the first time. Hotsuma shook his head.

"No." He agreed softly. "It's not."

"Then where...?"

"The Nagatabi." Hotsuma smiled, a hint of mischief in his expression as he did so. "A ship I captured in a raid some moons ago. It isn't Gai'En, but it still has it's perks. You adapt - you have to. That's how things are, after all."

"What about Shank?"

Ryoko stumbled to her feet, and Hotsuma held out his hand to pull her upright. "Did he...was his ship destroyed, also?"

"There. That's better. You're already starting to sound more like yourself." The pirate sounded pleased. "No, I'm afraid not. Daidalos took a hit - and a bad one, it will be a while before she's back in commision. But Shank escaped the scene. The other ships...blown to smithereens, I'm afraid. Well, I'm not surprised. It was all I could do to keep Nagatabi out of his range."

"You were there and you didn't help me?" Ryoko's rage flared up again. "And what do you mean...did you say..._ships_?"

"I wasn't there. Not until it was too late to do anything but take cover." Hotsuma responded. "And there was another ship - like Ryo Ohki. I think it was the Ken Ohki, but I keep my distance from bounty hunters and Nagi has no reason to love either one of us. In fact, I wasn't intending to become embroiled in anything at all, to be honest. But when I saw it was you - and you were just there, drifting...I had to stop and pick you up. For old times, if nothing else. I'm not enough of a rogue to leave a lady to die in space."

"I almost wish you had." Ryoko sank down into the chair, burying her head in her hands as she tried to make sense of his words. "So Ryo Ohki is...is gone? For good? Completely destroyed?"

"Yes." Hotsuma confirmed. "I think she absorbed most of the blast, to be honest. If it had hit you with as much power, you'd be the one spread all across the galaxy right now."

"My forcefield." Ryoko blanched. "Did I deflect it onto them?"

"Now that I can't tell you." Hotsuma shrugged his shoulders, dropping easily down into a chair opposite her. He eyed her keenly. "You seem genuinely upset, Ryoko. How much did you care about this Tenchi person, anyway? I know it's been a while since our paths crossed, and even longer since you consented to spend time aboard my ship - but I'm curious. I know you...or I thought I did. The Ryoko I remember wouldn't have wasted time on futile emotions. I know that you lost your ship and I'm sorry. That I do understand. But this Tenchi - is he a pirate?"

"No, he's not." Ryoko shook her head. "I mean...I mean...he wasn't. He was just...from Earth. A guy from Earth."

"And were you bonded?"

"Bonded?" Ryoko started, then she frowned. "No. Hotsuma, I told you, he wasn't a pirate. But I..."

She faltered, then,

"I loved him." She admitted. "And I won't believe you. He can't be dead...it just isn't possible. After all we've fought for, all we've been through...he can't be. He's stronger than that. Tsunami wouldn't let him die. Not in such a useless way!"

Hotsuma was silent for a moment, and Ryoko was aware of his gaze on her, as he digested everything she had said. At length, he sighed.

"Of all the pirates in the universe, I didn't think that _you_ would succumb to love." He said, and Ryoko could hear disappointment in his tone. "I thought you were above such foolishness. And not even a pirate..."

He trailed off, but his disapproval hung over the room like a shadow. Ryoko raised her gaze, eying him defiantly.

"You don't understand." She said coldly. "You don't know Tenchi."

"No, and I never will, now." Hotsuma said simply. "So forget about him. There's nothing that can be done for him now, or for anyone else aboard Ryo Ohki. We're well away from Sargasso, we're in safe Balta space and Shank won't come this far when his ship has taken such a beating. You've escaped...be glad of it. Stop dwelling on the past. You have your future to consider. Whoever walks away doesn't look back - or had you forgotten that little pirate adage?"

"Easy for you to say." Ryoko sighed, suddenly too tired to argue any more. An emptiness gnawed away inside of her as she gazed around the room, wishing that she could feel Ryo Ohki's nuzzling at her senses, or hear Tenchi's voice teasing her for some futile game. A stab of regret washed through her as she remembered that it had not only been Tenchi aboard her ship. Washu, Katsuhito, Nobyuki. They were all gone, also. And Nagi...what of Nagi?

She glanced up at him.

"Nagi's ship was destroyed too?"

"Yes." Hotsuma inclined his head. "Don't tell me you're regretting that, too? You were never a friend of Nagi, Ryoko. I won't accept that you've come to terms."

"No, I don't suppose we ever did." Ryoko acknowledged. She sighed. "I'm just...trying to understand. I feel numb...Hotsuma, it wasn't just Tenchi aboard my craft. There were others. My mother. Tenchi's father and grandfather. People who are family to me now. Everything. I...I can't process what you're saying. It doesn't feel real."

"I didn't think you had a mother." Hotsuma looked startled. Ryoko frowned.

"Well, now it looks like I don't. Not any more." She muttered, fighting against the urge to cry even as she contemplated his words. "To think she survived Kihaku's destruction only to die like this. If she'd still had her magic, she'd have been all right - but then, even Tenchi's magic didn't protect him. If what you say is true, even Tsunami isn't a match for the Daidalos cannons."

"I don't understand a word of what you're saying, now." Hotsuma looked confused. "You _are_ in shock. You need a drink."

"I need something." Ryoko rubbed her temples. "But I'm not sure alcohol is it, Hotsuma."

Her eyes hardened, and she met his gaze with hers, clenching her fists as sparks of energy shot out in all directions.

"I need revenge." She said softly, anger glittering in the depths of her amber eyes. "If Shank survived, then I want to hunt him down. And then, when I have him, I'm going to _kill_ him. I'm going to kill him for taking away the ones who mean the most to me!"

----

From somewhere deep within the bowels of the ship, sparks of light began to drift together, pulling themselves into a ghostly form as they danced and span among the cobwebs of the lower deck. As each particle glowed with energy, the form became one whole, extending long, spectral hands and legs as it stood, gazing around it in some confusion.

What was this?

The entity drifted absently across the length of the lower deck, pausing as it reached the glittering surface of an old dusty mirror. Very gently, it extended a limb, brushing translucent fingers softly against the glass. At first, the gesture had nothing behind it, and the thin, pale digits passed straight through. But, as the being's focus became stronger, it found the surface was strange and hard beneath its touch. It eyed its reflection uncomprehendingly, watching as each light particle darted and dodged into it's correct location, forming the visage of a young girl.

At length, she sighed, and the girl in the mirror sighed back, echoing her movement. She frowned, glancing up at the ceiling. From her prison, deep within the craft, she was aware of someone crying, and their tears touched at her, tweaking at her memories without waking any of them fully. Unable to comprehend why, the being stepped forward into the mirror, willing herself upwards as she came closer and closer to the sound of the tears.

At length she stopped moving, and, as she stood there, seperated from reality by a thin pane of aging glass, she saw the one whose grief had brought her to the surface. The whole ship swelled and glowed with the woman's distress, and the spectre frowned, drawing ghostly brows together as she let the pain and confusion overwhelm her own raw senses.

At length she could stand it no more, and she forced her form together, pushing through the glass of the mirror and stepping into the chamber, seeing the woman for the first time. Curled up on the room's only sofa, and quite alone, the stranger seemed unaware that she had company, and slowly the spirit approached her, wanting only to bring comfort to the distraught tears that wracked her slim, pale form.

As she drew closer, she reached out a hesitant hand as if to touch the woman on the shoulder, but at the last minute she faltered, drawing back as she felt the angry, pulsing electricity that touched the woman's aura. For a moment she just stood over her, wanting to help but not knowing how to break through the flickering energy that stood between them.

"Ryoko?"

The man's voice startled her, and the spirit drew back towards the mirror, cloaking herself in it's protective crystal as she sought to hide herself from his approach. A new sensation washed through her, and as she struggled to draw herself together, she realised that it was fear.

"Ryoko! I promise, you'll feel much better when you've had a drink of this. Then we can talk properly - work out what we're going to do. I mean, if we're really going after Shank, we're going to have to have a plan, and you know I'll back you up all the way. That devil has paraded his wretched ship through Deep Space long enough, and nothing would make me happier than to see him gone for good."

His footsteps drew closer, and from her vantage point, the spectre could see that he bore a bottle and glasses in his hand. She frowned, trying to understand what she was seeing.

At the sound of his voice, the woman started, dashing her tears away. Then, as the spectre watched, she flickered and blurred out of view, disappearing from the room before her eyes. The spirit pressed her hands against the glass, trying to sense the woman's presence, but it was distant and undefined, and she knew the girl had gone out into the space beyond the ship's confines...somewhere she could not go.

The man stepped into the chamber, and the spirit could sense his confusion to find the room empty. "Ryoko? Where are you?"

He turned, and for a moment, he met gazes with the girl in the mirror. A look of shock and fear touched his blue eyes, and he shook his head, dropping the bottle and the glasses with a resounding crash as he did so. He paid them no attention, light flaring from his hands as he took a step back.

"What did you do with her?" He demanded, and the spectre stared at him, not comprending his words. He scowled.

"I'm warning you...go back to where you came from." He told her angrily. "This ship is my ship. _My_ ship. Do you hear me? You're gone - you'll leave Ryoko alone! She doesn't need the likes of you messing with her head! Do you understand?"

The energy around his palms glowed brighter, and the spectre sent him a look of reproach. Then she pulled back into the mirror, dispersing as she sank back down towards the seclusion of her hiding place. As she did so, she heard the man calling again, and she closed her eyes, trying her hardest to fix the name in her memories.

"Ryoko." She whispered, her word little more than a breath on the wind. "I must help you. Somehow."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

On the Earth, everything was still.

In the expansive, dimly lit laboratory, machines whirred and whispered, processing files and data with every passing second. In the furthermost corner of the room, a petite, dark haired girl sat hunched over her desk, a look of concentration in her pale lilac eyes as bit by bit she processed the computer readouts. 

"Yume?"

At the sound of the voice, the girl turned, a smile touching her lips as she got to her feet. 

"Washu-san." She murmured softly. "I'm glad to see you. I have a lot to report."

"There's only one thing I want a report on right now, Yume." Washu looked tired, the droid realised, as she undid her cloak from around her shoulders, dropping it carelessly down atop a computer unit. The machine whirred its objection to the extra weight, but Washu paid it no heed, and Yume frowned.

"On that, I have little to say." She admitted. "Washu, she's no worse...but I can't say she's any better, either. I did all the things you suggested I do, but it hasn't seemed to make any difference. Ryoko is stable, but she doesn't seem to be responding on any level."

"Not at all, huh?" Washu's lips thinned, and she crossed the floor to the slim pallet bed that had been pushed carelessly up against the wall. On the floor beside it were blankets, marking Yume's dedicated vigil, but even so the droid felt helpless. She shrugged, watching her mentor approach the bedside, placing a finger to the cheek of the woman who lay there. She closed her eyes, and Yume knew that the scientist was not far from tears.

"First Tokimi, now Ryoko." She whispered. "I really _am_ cursed."

"There's nothing in my database which suggests curses are either logical or possible." Yume said gently, coming to join her companion. After a moment of hesitation, she slipped a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Washu-san, this isn't your fault. None of it is. And she lives. She breathes. Like as not she was stunned by the blast...her biology is strong, and she probably just needs a day or two to recover her wits."

"It may not be my fault directly." Washu said pensively. "But if I'd had my magic, Yume, I would have been able to protect Ryo Ohki from that pirate's attack. As it is, my daughter lies in a coma, her spaceship is badly hurt from the blast and if it hadn't been for Nagi, we'd not have made it to the Earth at all. I swear, sometimes we owe that woman more favours than I can ever repay - but she's always there when we need her the most."

"Nagi's ship was also bruised in the blast." Yume reflected. "But I think Ryo Ohki's recovery is impeded by Ryoko's lack of contact. She can't break through either, Washu-san. She's tried, because I found her in here this morning when I woke up, scratching at Ryoko's bed and whining. Wounded as she is, I can't make her rest for long. She's not used to the bond being broken, and it scares her."

"It scares me, also." Washu admitted. "It takes a great deal to forcibly break the bond between Ryoko and Ryo Ohki, Yume. I know, because I designed both of them. I've only seen it happen once before, and that time Ryoko lost her life briefly aboard the pirate ship Karasu. Tsunami's magic brought her back then - but this time we don't have Tsunami."

"Ryoko isn't dead, Washu." Yume said softly. Washu spread her hands.

"Maybe not, but Nagi did say when she first drew her aboard Ken Ohki that she didn't seem to be breathing." She admitted. "I'm still not completely sure myself what happened out there. That pirate ship's beam was powerful, that's for sure - and Ryoko was foolhardy, facing it like she did without knowing what she was up against. But even so, with her powers as strong as they are...it just doesn't make any sense to me. And if it hadn't been for Tenchi's Light Hawk Wings, we'd probably all have been blown to smithereens. As it is..."

"Tenchi." Yume's expression became sad. "The way he was last night, Washu - through all of the last six months, I've always felt that we were friends - that I could talk to him and he to me. But last night it was like I had never met him before...like he was some stranger, unable to speak or think clearly. I never saw him raise his voice to you or to Lord Katsuhito, when you forced him to leave this room. I never saw him so...so..."

She faltered, unable to find an adequate word in her vocabulary.

"Well, Tenchi and Ryoko are close." Washu said heavily. "Perhaps too close. Who knows? Maybe Tenchi _will_ be the thing to pull her out of this stupor of hers. But in the state he was last night, I couldn't let him stay. I needed to concentrate - we both did. And Tenchi was in no condition to help. Like you, I've never seen him lose his cool so easily. It was almost scary."

She spread her hands.

"It was bad of me, but I resorted to sedating him last night." She admitted. "And I may do the same again tonight, if he can't be more rational. It's bad enough that we have to deal with this, without all of this emotion. I need to hold it together if I'm going to work out what I'm doing, but since I lost my magic, I've felt less fiercely in control of my emotions. I've not had to rein it in so much, I suppose...and Tsunami's magic has affected me the way it affects everyone. I feel things more deeply in some respects - in ways I've not let myself for centuries. Like my life has been switched back on - and right now, I heartily wish it had not. I find it hard to think of Ryoko as science some days. This is one of them."

She glanced up.

"Yume, will you leave me with her for a while?" She asked. "I want to run some tests of my own, and I need the peace and quiet. Besides, you need a break. You've been down here pretty much the whole time and even though you were built to withstand a lot, it's not fair on you. I did tell you that you wouldn't be my servant if you stayed here with us - and I'm breaking my word unforgiveably."

"Well, Ryoko and I were never friends at first glance." Yume cast a look at the still patient, then shrugged. "But we've grown to accept one another, since then. And I don't mind helping, Washu-san. I owe you much more than I can ever repay...it's no bother."

"You are a godsend." Washu flashed her a smile. "And what I'd do without you now, I don't know. I'm glad that one of us still has the ability to be logical and rational. It helps."

"I try." Yume returned the smile. "Don't work too hard, Washu-san. I still believe Ryoko will be fine."

She hesitated, then turned on her heel, flicking a switch as the door of the lab materialised before her, and stepping through it into the hallway of the Masaki house. There was noone in evidence, but the sound of soft voices drifted across to her from the lounge and she made her way in that direction, pushing open the door and slipping into the room. The two occupants – bounty hunter and shrine priest – glanced up at her entrance, Katsuhito sending her a sober smile. He gestured for her to join them and Yume did so, casting his companion a wary look. Nagi met her gaze for a moment, then she raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" She asked softly.

"There's no change and Washu is going to run some tests." Yume said slowly. "Nagi-san, we're all very grateful to you for…for…"

She faltered, and Nagi offered her an emotionless smile.

"For almost blowing up my own spaceship up trying to rescue her?" She asked, irony in her tones. "Yes, that was clever of me, wasn't it?"

"Ken Ohki isn't badly wounded, Nagi." Katsuhito said quietly. "And he's in the right hands with Washu and Yume. I'm sure he'll be fit to fly in a day or two – and meanwhile, you're always welcome to stay as long as you need here. I know my son in law and my grandson would agree."

"It doesn't look like I have a lot of choice." Nagi acknowledged matter of factly.

Katsuhito smiled, seemingly un-offended by his houseguest's brusqueness. He stood, glancing up at the clock on the wall.

"I must return to the shrine." He said regretfully. "Life must go on, regardless of what it throws at us."

With that he withdrew, and Yume found herself alone with Nagi.

It was the bounty hunter who broke the silence first.

"And Ryo Ohki? How long before she'll be airborne again?"

"I don't know." Yume spread her hands. "Washu's tended to her, but Ryo Ohki doesn't want to leave Ryoko alone for very long. It's not helping her to rest or heal."

Nagi was silent for a moment, mulling this over. Then she shrugged her shoulders.

"I wouldn't expect any less from her." She admitted. "She has a lot of loyalty."

She glanced idly at her hands, turning them over as she did so.

"I almost had Shank, that time." She added darkly. "I don't know when I'll next have such a good chance to run him aground. With Daidalos damaged, he's easy pickings for anyone who knows how to trace him – but by the time Ken Ohki is space-worthy again, he'll have long since vacated the sector. I can't pretend I'm pleased. I always take great pride in securing the heads of the Daluma…but his in particular."

"So that's what you do? You go round space killing criminals and selling their bodies to the Galaxy Police for the reward?" Yume looked startled. Nagi looked amused.

"You make me sound barbaric." She responded, although Yume felt that her strange companion saw it more as a compliment than a slight. "But yes. I suppose that's what I do."

"Then that's how you know Ryoko." Yume frowned. "But how did you come to be friends with her? It seems illogical."

"Friends?" Now Nagi was clearly offended, for she was on her feet, one hand straying to the whip that still clung protectively to her belt. Yume flinched back, clenching her fists as she prepared to throw a forcefield around her body, but the bounty hunter seemed to relax, releasing her grip on her weapon and leaning idly back against the panel wall. She smiled, and Yume could see a rueful amount of acceptance in the woman's eye.

"Ryoko and I are not friends." She continued more calmly, pursing her lips as she spoke. "But nor are we the deadliest of enemies. We were…yes, once we were. But I have more sense than to become tangled in the affairs of a planet such as Jurai. And Ryoko has learnt there are other ways to make money than to pillage the universe. As such, there is no longer bounty on her life, and the costs of bringing her to battle would far outweigh the reward. I'm not foolish."

"But you did help her. So you must care if she's alive or not." Yume looked confused. Nagi laughed.

"Ken Ohki is very good at talking me into things." She admitted. "And he cares for Ryo Ohki. That's all. I'm here because I'm too fond of listening to the whims of lovesick cabbits. Not out of any real affection for Ryoko."

"I see." Yume did not see, but decided it was safer not to pursue the point. "Well, either way, we're grateful. Especially Tenchi. Even if he hasn't said as much to you yet."

"I don't put much faith in the manners of Juraian princes." Nagi said frankly. "Believe me, I'm not at all bothered about Tenchi Masaki. He marks the downward spiral of Ryoko's life – truly, it's not worth fighting her these days. She's grown soft…and I prefer a challenge."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, since I'm stuck on this planet, I suppose I might as well take a proper look at it from the outside." She remarked off-handedly. "If you want me, Ken Ohki will know how to contact me."

Before Yume could respond, she was gone, and the droid frowned, shaking her head slowly as she tried to process the bounty hunter's enigmatic demeanour.

"Washu said she was a friend, but I find it hard to understand how or why." She reasoned at last, a rueful smile touching her lips. "I suppose I do have a lot still to learn about being human. But even so, and even though Ryoko and I can fight, I'm glad Nagi intervened. I have faith in Ryoko's strength, even if Washu is not so sure. What happened in space was cataclysmic, but Ryoko is not dead. Therefore it seems logical that time is all she needs to heal and recover herself fully."

A sound from the doorway made her glance up, her features softening as she registered the identity of her companion.

"Hello, Tenchi-kun." She said gently. "Everyone is coming and going such a lot today - I didn't realise you were home as well."

"I'm here, for all the good it does me." Tenchi looked sheepish. "Yume-san, I'm sorry for how I acted last night. I...I wasn't thinking quite straight. It was..."

"You're forgiven." Yume shook her head. "And Washu and Lord Katsuhito understand, also. It's a stressful time."

"It was just the shock." Tenchi glanced at his hands, hesitating, then coming to sit beside her. "I knew we'd become close, you know, I just didn't realise how close. These things sneak up on you. We've had such a good time, over the last six months. Like, well, a proper couple. At last I feel like Ryoko has settled on the Earth as herself. She's involved in all the negotiations between Jurai and this planet over security...and she's even proving to be quite good at it."

"Washu says she has a particular talent for arguing." Yume's eyes flickered slightly with humour and Tenchi offered her a faint smile. He nodded.

"I guess she does." He agreed softly. "Thank you, Yume. I appreciate you trying, at least."

"I don't understand what it is you're feeling." Yume admitted truthfully. "But I don't like how Ryoko's accident has made me feel, either. So I can only imagine it's worse for you...and I don't like seeing you upset, Tenchi-kun."

"I'm trying to do as Washu said last night, and be strong for Ryoko." Tenchi ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. "Though how that helps when she won't let me in the lab to see her is anyone's guess. She's put a seal on the door, Yume - and it repels me right back to my bedroom if I try. I think she thinks I'll lose my mind again - but I won't. I want to see her."

He shrugged, glancing across towards the window.

"I tried to take my mind off it, walking in the mountains like I used to when I was a child." He added. "But all I ended up doing was visiting Mother's grave and telling her everything. Which didn't make me feel much better, if I'm honest. It just made me think of something Dad said to me when we were on Jurai - and now things are all messed up."

"Nagi-san is staying. At least for now."

"I suppose with Ken Ohki battered, she's a bit stuck." Tenchi mused.

"I find her hard to understand, Tenchi-kun. She kills people and seems to enjoy it. But...she operates on the side of good?"

"Nagi is Nagi. There's no other way to explain her...she's completely unique." Tenchi frowned. "And she and Ryoko have quite a history. It won't be the first time Nagi's got involved to protect Ryoko's life, but she'll probably never admit to it if you ask her. I don't know what her motives are either, sometimes. But I'm glad she was there. When Daidalos's blast blew us out of Ryo Ohki into space, I wasn't sure I could hold us for long. My magic is so unpredictable and I don't even remember trying to do it...it just happened. But the explosion hurt Ryo Ohki badly enough to make her transform and without Ken Ohki's intervention, we'd have been done for up there."

"Can we trust her?"

"Yes, Yume, I believe we can." Tenchi said quietly. "Whatever else Nagi does and is, she's ruthlessly honest and straight. She believes very rigidly in her code of honour, and she'll stick to it tooth and nail. Whether it makes sense to anyone else or not."

"Then perhaps she will help us again, somehow."

"How do you mean?" Tenchi looked surprised.

"If Ryoko knows her, maybe she can help bring her round."

"Yume, if Washu and I couldn't bring Ryoko round, I hardly think Nagi will." Tenchi said sadly, and a pang hit Yume's robotic heart as she registered the melancholy in his brown eyes. "No, Nagi's done her part and as soon as Ken Ohki is well, she'll leave. But I'm grateful to her, anyway. After all, if she hadn't have intervened, none of us would have survived."

He sighed.

"Least of all Ryoko."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_"I think we've pushed them back about as far as we can go."_

_In the busy central control room of the pirate mothership, the clamour of voices fell to a dull murmur as the woman walked between them, casting approving looks on all sides. "We've done well. All of you have done well. You make the Balta proud...bringing to heel so many Daluma ships and with so few losses to our own people. They'll think twice before encroaching in our space zones again, that's for sure."_

_"Captain Komachi." From his vantage point at the back of the chamber, the young man raised his hand, offering the woman a smile as she turned to meet his gaze._

_"Hotsuma." She said softly. "If you pilot every raid ship the way you piloted that one, you'll be captain in your own right before you know it. Did you take any prisoners?"_

_"Yes, Captain." The man nodded his head, a shock of fair hair falling over his shoulder as he did so. "Seventeen crew, all sealed in the convict quarters, ready for you to come see what you can get out of them."_

_"I see." Komachi's eyes twinkled with humour. "I'm sure they're very comfortable, too."_

_"Yes, Captain. They're happy as can be." Hotsuma smirked. He hesitated, pursing his lips._

_"Captain, there's something else. Something you should know."_

_"Something else?" Komachi frowned, tilting her head on one side as she regarded him. "What kind of something else? We cut off all escape routes to the Daluma vessel, didn't we? Their contraband is taken for our own? And all prisoners are secured?"_

_"Yes, Ma'am." Hotsuma bent his head in confirmation. "But contraband wasn't the only thing we seized from their raiding vessel. Captain Komachi, they had a child aboard."_

_"A child?" Shock flickered in the woman's eyes and she shook her head. "What kind of a child? A ship's boy?"_

_"No...no." Hotsuma hesitated, then shook his head. "A little girl."_

_"A girl?" Komachi reacted with amazement. "Aboard a Daluma ship? Is she hurt?"_

_Hotsuma eyed his captain for a moment, then he shrugged his shoulders._

_"She's bonded." He said softly. "She has a scar across her left palm."_

_"Bonded into piracy? A little girl?" Komachi was stunned. "But..."_

_She trailed off, as if considering the point. Then, "All right, Lieutenant. Take me to this girl."_

_"Yes, captain." Hotsuma nodded his head. "She's this way. I didn't want to seal her up with the prisoners...not considering some of the jeers that were going her way. She's not...a child exactly. I mean, she is, but..."_

_He smirked._

_"She seems able to defend herself." He admitted. "But I thought it better that she was away from them anyway."_

_"Without a doubt." Komachi's expression darkened. "What kind of guild are the Daluma, dragging a young girl into their barbaric practices?"_

_Hotsuma shrugged his shoulders._

_"I thought she was a captive." He admitted. "I was surprised when I saw the scar. And she spat at me, when I tried to see if she was hurt. I was quite impressed by her spunk, to be honest."_

_"I can imagine." Komachi said dryly, as they reached the door of Hotsuma's own small cabin. He unlocked it, ushering his companion inside and then following, casting a glance around for the small girl he had left there. She sat defiantly on the end of his bed, and though he could see the tearstains on her cheeks, she was clearly not about to break down into sobs of terror. Komachi eyed her for a moment, then approached her slowly._

_"Are you hurt?" She asked softly. The girl looked up, meeting the captain's gaze with bright amber eyes._

_"I'm all right." She said flatly. "And I'm not with them, so let me go already, will you?"_

_"Not with...them?" Komachi looked confused. "With who, little one?"_

_"I'm not little!" The girl flared up at this. "I'm the Space Pirate Ryoko and I'm almost fifteen summers! I can take care of myself, so don't call me a child!"_

_"The Space Pirate Ryoko, huh?" Hotsuma eyed her with interest. Ryoko nodded._

_"Yes." She said frankly, folding her arms across her chest. "So there. And if you touch me, I'll blast you like I did the others, so don't come any closer. I'm not stupid and I know what men like to do to girls when they're bored."_

_Hotsuma stopped in his tracks, a droll smile touching his lips. He cast his captain a quizzical look, and Komachi frowned._

_"Are you a Daluma, Ryoko?" She asked softly. Ryoko shook her head._

_"Then where do you belong? You can't possibly be a pirate all on your own."_

_"I could if I wanted to." Ryoko said sharply. "I'm strong and Haki says that..."_

_"Haki?" Komachi was on this in a moment. "What on earth are you doing mixed up with a monster like Haki? Fifteen or not, you're too young to be flying with a man like that - Ryoko, he'll only hurt you! He uses the term pirate as his excuse to slaughter and torture his foes and his friends alike."_

_"I'm bonded." Ryoko thrust a pale, small hand out, palm up, revealing the fading white scar that ran from top to bottom. "And I belong with him."_

_"Then where is he now?" Hotsuma asked pointedly. Ryoko frowned, and the pirate was aware of tears in the depths of her eyes. _

_"I don't tell tales." She said firmly. "So...so kill me if you like. I'll never tell you anything you want to know. I'm not a spy."_

_Komachi sighed, shaking her head._

_"Perhaps you could stay here."_

_"I don't want your help. I don't need charity from you or anyone." Ryoko spat back. "Let me out of here, before I blast your room to pieces, lady. I'm not kidding. I'm part demon and I can really hurt you when I'm mad!"_

_Flickers of energy danced at the tips of her fingers, as if to illustrate her point, and Komachi spread her hands._

_"How are you going to get anywhere, without a spaceship?" She asked sensibly. Ryoko scowled._

_"I have a spaceship." She said sullenly. "She'll come when I call her. And I don't need your help. Let me go or kill me. I won't help you and if you make me stay, I'll hurt you."_

_"I don't fight children." Komachi said simply. "And nor do my crew. You're not a prisoner aboard my ship, Ryoko-chan. However you got here, you're free to leave at any time."_

_"I'm not a child." Ryoko repeated, but Komachi took no notice. Instead she stood back, reaching to open the cabin door._

_"Go, and go with care." She said softly. "But do us this one favour, Ryoko the Space Pirate."_

_The girl, who had hopped off the bed at her action paused, turning to eye her in surprise._

_"Keep what you have seen aboard my craft a secret, and I will not doubt your honour as a true pirate." Komachi said gently. "Do we have an agreement?"_

_Ryoko stared for a moment, then she nodded her head, the hostility fading from her amber eyes._

_"I give you my word on my pirate's honour that I won't tell anyone about your ship." She said firmly. "And I won't help those Daluma scum either."_

_"Then go safely." Komachi shrugged her shoulders. "And maybe one day we'll be able to meet again, in friendship."_

Hotsuma sat back in his seat, taking a long, thoughtful sip of his drink as he contemplated recent events. It had been a long time, he mused wryly to himself, and yet there was still something about hunting in the vicinity of the Space Pirate Ryoko. As he sat there, swirling the amber liquid around in his glass, he remembered only too clearly the first time he had met her. He had suspected then that she was not someone who would be easily beaten down, and he had respected her spirit and her fight. But now...

He frowned, casting a glance across the cabin to the room's other occupant. After searching the length and breadth of the ship, he had finally found her curled up on a worn bunk in one of the craft's accomodation cabins. She had been asleep when he'd found her, and his first impulse to wake her had faltered when he had noticed the unmistakeable sight of tears on her lashes. He bit his lip, taking another sip of the drink and setting the glass down on the wooden table top.

So what had happened, then, to his fiesty, fiery space pirate?

"Perhaps too long has passed since last we flew together." He mused regretfully. "The woman I knew would never have shed tears over lost lives and past acquaintances. But then, Ryo Ohki was a fine ship, and their bond was all-encompassing. Perhaps the wrench of being seperated has taken it's toll. Either way, right now she's not the girl I remember."

He held up his hand to the light, carefully sliding off his glove as he glanced at the faded white line that ran from north to south across his palm. It had been a long time ago, he knew that, but he remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday. Hesitating for a moment, he pressed a finger to the scar, tracing the mark across his hand.

"Hotsuma?"

As if awoken by the magic of an ancient pirate bond, his companion stirred, blinking as she struggled to bring him into focus. "Where...what's...why are you here?"

Hotsuma eyed her keenly, pursing his lips.

"I was worried about you, when I couldn't find you." He said simply. "You're not yourself and I don't like to see you weak and vulnerable. It isn't the real Ryoko and it troubles me."

"I'm not weak or vulnerable." Ryoko pulled herself into a sitting position, grasping at the blanket that lay discarded on the bed beside her and pulling it around her shoulders as a chill wind whipped through the cabin. "I just needed time to be alone. You of all people know that I don't like enforced company. Why do you think we stopped raiding together the first time around?"

"Ah, now that's a question I know the answer to only too well." Hotsuma looked rueful. "Do you want a drink, Ryoko? There's plenty, and it will help. You know it will."

"All right." Ryoko shrugged, and Hotsuma reached for the bottle, hesitating, and then holding it out to her. She took it, glancing at it, then taking a swig, setting it down beside her. "I haven't tasted that in a long while. Not since..."

She faltered, a shadow touching her expression, and Hotsuma frowned.

"Snap out of it, will you?" He demanded. "You're a pirate, start acting like it!"

"I told you, I'm not a pirate any more!"

"You're always a pirate, or didn't Haki ever tell you that once you're bonded, you're bonded for life?" Hotsuma retorted. He held up his hand, indicating the faint white scar as he did so. "See? You might not have spoken to me in years, Ryoko, but we're still connected, and we always will be. The scar marks the bond...you can't break it."

Ryoko glanced at him for a moment. Then, very carefully, she removed her own glove, resting her hand palm up on the bedcovers.

"I have no scar." She said simply. "I have no bond."

"What?" Hotsuma frowned, grabbing her hand and holding it more clearly under the light. "But I don't understand - how is it possible?"

"I told you. I'm not a pirate any more." Ryoko pulled her hand free of his grasp, sliding the glove back over it. "Haki's scar, your scar...it's all just a memory. I turned my back on that life when I met Tenchi. You just haven't accepted it, that's all. Which is why we don't raid together. You always think you know best, and I swore when Haki vanished that I wasn't going to take orders from anyone ever again."

"I don't remember you taking orders from me too often, either." Hotsuma said darkly. Ryoko shrugged.

"Of course not, not if I could help it." She agreed flatly. "But in the end, Hotsuma, we stopped raiding together because you had crazy ideas and I didn't want to wind up in a Galaxy Police cell. I always did have more sense than you when it came to plotting our adventures. You just stopped listening to me, so I stopped flying with you. You said yourself that pirates walk away and don't look back, right?"

"Then why are you still fixating on this Tenchi?" Hotsuma demanded. "He's the past just as much as that life is, now. I thought you wanted to avenge yourself on Shank - how can you do that if you seclude yourself away to cry over a dead man?"

"I was not crying!" Ryoko reacted fiercely to this, bringing her hand sharply down across her companion's cheek and despite himself, Hotsuma flinched back, anger stirring in the depths of his own blue eyes.

He grasped her by the wrists, meeting her gaze darkly with one of his own.

"Don't raise your hands to an ally." He said warningly. "You might think you're the smarter of us, Ryoko, but I'm stronger than you are."

"Not necessarily." Ryoko glared back at him, wrenching her hands from his grip. "And I don't cry. So stop saying stupid things like that and we'll be fine."

She paused, then,

"You always were too sweet on your own opinions."

"And you would never listen to anything anyone ever said." Hotsuma retorted.

"Then why did you bother bringing me aboard your ship?" Ryoko demanded. "If you think I'm so difficult and weak and hopeless, why did you even care?"

Hotsuma eyed her carefully for a moment. Then he held up his hand.

"Because we're bonded." He said quietly. "And even if your scar has healed, the bond is still there. I told you, Ryoko. Only death can break a pirate's blood-bond."

"Then I'm still bonded to Haki." Ryoko returned acidly. "Wouldn't you think?"

"Haki isn't here to interfere. You and I are the only ones here." 

"For now." Ryoko nodded. "Until we kill Shank. But I'm not a pirate, Hotsuma, and I'm not going to stay with you. I'm going back to the Earth, just as soon as I've taken my revenge."

"Really?" Hotsuma softened his tone of voice, eying her thoughtfully. "See sense, Ryoko. You have nothing else to go back for. You said yourself that your family were aboard Ryo Ohki. If they truly were anything to you, they're not now. They're gone. Space dust, just like so many others before them. There's nothing on the Earth. Just emptiness and boredom. You have to start again - bounce back, like a pirate always should. Take your losses and move on. You lived. They did not. This is the start of a new chapter, not the end of an old one."

"I don't forget people so easily as that." Ryoko snapped. Hotsuma raised an eyebrow.

"Then you're not the girl I thought you were."

"Perhaps I'm not." Ryoko got to her feet, sliding off the bed and padding across to the room's tiny porthole. "Where are we, anyway? When I blacked out we were in the middle of Sargasso, but this is familiar territory. You said Balta space - but where, exactly?"

"About two light years from the planet Concor. Where we first met, in fact." Hotsuma offered her a mischievous smile. "When you spat at me and told me that you didn't need my help. You were a spitfire even as a girl, Ryoko. You certainly left an impression."

"I remember." A faint smile touched Ryoko's lips. "I taught a lot of people that day that I wasn't just someone's toy to be played with. Just because I was a girl and young didn't mean I was going to be easy. They learnt it the hard way. You at least had the sense to keep your hands to yourself."

"Some things are worth waiting for." Hotsuma's tone was teasing, and Ryoko frowned, turning to face him.

"That was a long time ago." She said sadly. "And you said that we don't dwell on the past."

"True enough." Hotsuma nodded his head. "So instead, we should look to the future. And that means finding the Daidalos."

"Yes." Ryoko nodded her head, resolution burning in her amber eyes. "I want to find him and make him pay for what he did, Hotsuma. I don't care if Haki did kill his family, that didn't give him the right to kill mine. I never did anything to him to deserve that, but he's going to find out what it means to cross me."

"Now that sounds like the Ryoko I know." Hotsuma sounded approving. "Right, then. Let's go to the drive room, and look at space charts. Considering the damage you inflicted already on his ship, he can't have gotten too far and we should be able to catch up with him fairly easily."

"Oh, I do hope so." Ryoko clenched her fists, light glowing around them as she contemplated his words. "All right, Hotsuma. For the sake of Tenchi and the others, let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

It was another long, dreary day.

Tenchi sat back against the tree in the campus grounds, watching with little interest as classmates and fellow students greeted one another, exchanging stories and anecdotes as they hurried to their next classes. He glanced down at his lunch, barely picked at despite how carefully Yume had prepared it, and he sighed, pushing it absently back into his bag and gazing up instead at the cloudless sky. It didn't matter where he was or what he tried to do, his mind was still locked into Washu's laboratory, back home in the mountains.

"Tenchi-kun?"

He glanced up at the sound of a voice, offering a faint smile as he registered the presence of Sakura Ito, one of his classmates and friends. She hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside him, curling her feet underneath her as she shot him a quizzical glance.

"Where are you today, Tenchi?" She asked softly. "Because it's not on Planet Earth, that's for certain."

"I'm not sure I'm in the mood for the twenty questions, Sakura." Tenchi said tiredly. "It's a long week - that's all. A very long week. And this is the last place I feel like being at the moment."

"Something's happened." Sakura deduced, eying him keenly. "You're not eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Then something has definitely happened." Humour glittered in Sakura's dark eyes. "But you know you can trust me, Tenchi-kun. Don't you?"

"Yes, but I don't want to freak you out any more than I already have done this school year." Tenchi sighed. "And besides, I don't know exactly what to tell you, to be honest. It's all still a bit of a blur in my head."

"Does this have something to do with the trip you took over the holidays?" Sakura eyed him curiously. "Weren't you going to...to that planet Jurai for some reason or other?"

"Yes." Tenchi nodded his head. "And we did. To my cousin's Seijin No Hi celebration. But..."

He faltered, glancing at his hands. 

"It all got a bit complicated. And like I said, I don't want to scare you."

"Tenchi, since last autumn, you've introduced me to a girlfriend who flies, walks through walls and blows things up with her hands." Sakura said ruefully. "You've revealed to me that you're part alien and that your grandfather - the shrine priest - was almost Emperor of the most powerful planet in the universe. And if that wasn't enough, Earth is now spinning on a different time axis - although I don't _feel_ any difference - and we're suddenly involved in all this interstellar contact and communication. If all of that hasn't turned me grey and sent me running for the hills, I doubt much else will. I can take it, I promise. I've had time to get used to the fact your life is only a little bit shy of total insanity."

Tenchi glanced at his hands.

"We were attacked by pirates on the way back home." he admitted softly.

"Pirates?" Sakura frowned. "I thought they sailed the seas, not surged through space. Although, come to think of it...didn't you say Ryoko was a pirate, once upon a time? How come they attacked you?"

"Space Pirates, Sakura." Tenchi fought down his impatience. "Violent looters and thieves who patrol deep space looking for easy targets. And Ryoko might have been one, once. She isn't, now. Besides, different pirates belong to different gangs - or so she said. Although if you ask me, it was more a case of they saw us and wanted to blow us to pieces. Just for fun."

"I really hope your girlfriend wasn't that kind of pirate." Sakura frowned, and Tenchi shook his head.

"Ryoko isn't a monster. I told you I didn't want to freak you out." He said reproachfully, and Sakura sighed.

"I'm not freaked out." She said, holding up her hands in surrender. "Actually, I quite like Ryoko, now I know she's on the good guys' team and isn't about to kill us all. She's odd and all, but I guess that's all right. I mean, when it comes down to it, you're pretty odd too. Living in the mountains and zipping through space and all of that."

"Right now, that isn't helping."

"So what happened, then?" Sakura softened her tones. "You obviously made it back here, so you escaped the pirates - didn't you?"

"We did, but Ryoko was hurt trying to protect Ryo Ohki." Tenchi sighed. "She's been unconscious since we got back and even Washu hasn't managed to raise her. I don't know what's wrong, Sakura. But I do know that I'm scared. I think we all are...but I didn't realise how much I really would miss her now, if she didn't come back."

"I see." Sakura's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Tenchi. But have you taken her to a hospital? Perhaps someone could help her better there. I know you like to keep things private, up in the mountains, but..."

"Ryoko isn't from the Earth." Tenchi shook his head. "They wouldn't know where to begin. Besides, there's nothing any doctor on Earth could do that Washu couldn't do in her sleep. Unfortunately this time even she seems to be stumped - and she knows Ryoko's biology better than anyone."

"Washu-san is Ryoko's mother, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is." Tenchi rubbed his temples. "Let's just say the atmosphere back home isn't exactly chirpy right at the moment."

"So if you're so distracted, why are you in class today?" Sakura asked gently. Tenchi grimaced.

"Because Washu says that if the Earth finds out one of their newly appointed liasons was gunned down by pirates en route from Jurai, they might take fright and stop all communications." He said darkly. "Earth are still skittish about the whole long distance thing and it wouldn't take them much to pull back and stop trusting Jurai. It's bad enough that Washu has been so distracted from her own duties - this would be even worse. So...we have to keep it a secret. People here still don't know if they like the idea of alien alliances or not. If they think there's danger, travelling so far, they won't want to know."

"Well, it's not endearing me to the idea of travelling so far this summer." Sakura admitted. "Are there a lot of pirates in space, Tenchi?"

"Probably, but this was the first time we've been properly attacked by any." Tenchi grimaced. "Galaxy Police, Jurai military, rogue ships piloted by resurrected lunatics - maybe a different matter. But a direct attack by guild pirate ships? Not really."

"Maybe the Earth would be better off without space travel, then." Sakura shivered, glancing up towards the sky. "I mean, if all those things are out there..."

"But they've always been there." Tenchi reminded her. "Washu's argument is that the work she and her team are doing will help to protect Earth from outside attack. And of course, if Earth can accept Jurai's help, then it will accept Grandfather and Ryoko and Washu and I living here."

He frowned, biting his lip.

"Providing Ryoko survives. Sakura, I'm worried...and Washu won't even let me see her. She says I'm too emotionally unstable, and I'll upset her concentration."

"Are you going to class this afternoon?" Sakura asked gently. Tenchi shrugged his shoulders.

"I should." He admitted. "But whether I'll concentrate is anyone's guess. History of Art is not exactly top of my priorities at the moment."

"So go home." Sakura squeezed his hand. "I'll take notes for you, and you can catch up from them later. Really. If you're upset like this, you shouldn't be here. Ryoko might wake up and need you - mightn't she?"

"Chance would be a fine thing." Tenchi responded, but he cast her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. I appreciate it."

He got to his feet, scooping up his bag and swinging it idly over his shoulder.

"Then I'll go and see if I can find a train to Kurashiki. You're right that I don't feel like being here. And I'm not going to learn anything if I stay. If anyone asks, tell them I wasn't feeling well. Nothing else...just that. Okay?"

"It's more than half true, so I will." Sakura nodded solemnly. "You can count on me, Tenchi."

"I know." Tenchi looked pensive. "I'm glad at least that you and Ikeda have come around to the whole extra-terrestrial idea, anyway. Bye, Sakura. I'll probably see you tomorrow...or the day after."

"All right." Sakura nodded her head. "Take care, and wish Ryoko my best, all right? Although she was tough enough to fly through a club fire. I'm sure she just got concussed and she'll be fine."

"That's what Yume said, but I wish I could believe it." Tenchi sighed. "Thanks at least for trying."

He raised his hand in a parting wave, then heading across the campus courtyard, heading across the city to the busy railway station and fumbling in his pocket for loose change as he did so. Though it was more than three hours journey to get home, he knew that staying in Osaka was more than impossible at the moment.

"She's not back at the apartment, and I've got used to having her there when I'm at school." He mused, kicking idly at a stone and watching it roll into the gutter. "I'll speak to Washu. See if we can come to terms. After all, Ryoko is important to me and she'd want me to be there. Maybe I'd make a difference. Who knows? It's worth a try."

It was already dark by the time he reached his mountain home, and he pushed open the front door, dropping his bag down on the floor and leaning up against the wall. He glanced at the door of the store cupboard that had successfully hidden Washu's lab from sight for so long, and frowned.

"Washu?" He called. "Come out of there, will you? I want to talk to you."

There was a moment of silence, then the door swung open and the scientist poked her head around it, wild red hair pulled back beneath a scarf and a mixture of curiosity and irritation in her green eyes.

"And what are you doing home?" She scolded. "What did I tell you this morning, Tenchi? You need to be in Osaka. They need to see everything go on as normal. And there's nothing you can do here except get in my way!"

"I don't care what people think. Things aren't normal and it's doing noone any good pretending that they are." Tenchi said firmly. "I want to see her, Washu. I'm not going to freak out, or throw a fit, or yell. I just want some time with Ryoko and I don't think that's unreasonable."

"I really don't need you in my hair, Tenchi." Washu frowned, and Tenchi could see the tiredness in her expression. "Although I suppose I can't lock you away from her forever. But you can't stay here - I mean, you must go back to Osaka tomorrow. People will notice, and we don't need more questions being asked than already are being."

"Then find me a way to get there without needing to stay in the city overnight." Tenchi said frankly. "Because I'm not staying alone in that apartment. It's not fair, Washu - you know Ryoko always comes back with me, now. I can't go back there and try and act like everything is fine."

"All right." Washu sighed, but nodded her head. "I'll rig up some kind of dimensional doorway so that you can get to Osaka more quickly while this is going on. If you want the truth, I need a break from Ryoko's brain for a few hours, anyway."

She hesitated, then held out her hand to him.

"Come on in." She added. "It's all right - my trigger only works if you come in uninvited."

"Thank you." Tenchi took her hand, allowing her to lead him into the dark expanse of her lab. "Are you still stumped? You always work things out so quickly, Washu - I don't like that this has you as confused as the rest of us."

"No, not really." Washu ran her fingers through the stray wisps of hair that framed her face, shaking her head. "I know what's wrong with Ryoko, Tenchi. I finally figured that out at the very least."

"You did?" Hope flickered in Tenchi's heart. "Then you can help her?"

"I don't know." Washu admitted, and Tenchi could hear the unguarded frustration in her voice. She banged her hand down hard on the nearby computer unit, making him jump at her sudden loss of temper.

"I don't damn well know!" She added crossly. "And it's driving me to distraction that I can't find a way to bring her back!"

"And you told me to calm down." Tenchi looked startled. "Washu, this isn't like you!"

"I know." Washu acknowledged bitterly. "But I'm angry, Tenchi. Up till six months ago I had the magic to go in and resolve all of this, but I never thought about it then. Never used it. Never even cared that it was there. Now, when my daughter damn well needs me to muster it, it's no longer there. The one time in my whole life when I've needed my Kii ancestry and I don't have it to call upon! Wouldn't that make you mad, if you needed the Light Hawk Wings and they suddenly weren't there? This is Ryoko's life in the balance, and dammit, science can't save her!"

Tenchi eyed her keenly.

"Kii magic could help her?" He asked at length. Washu sighed, taking a deep breath as she fought to calm herself.

"In a manner of speaking Kii magic caused it." She said darkly. "Tenchi, Ryoko isn't suffering from concussion. In fact, she's not even unconscious - not really. What we've been interpreting as symptoms of a shock induced coma are actually not that at all."

"Then what?" Tenchi approached the bedside, sitting hesitantly down as he sought to take the patient's slim hand in his. "If she's not comatose, what is wrong with her?"

"Ryoko is half Kii...and she inherited a random sweep of magic from me when I created her." Washu said heavily. "I was far more focused on her father's side of the equation at the time, because I wanted to be sure she could carry those gems and use them against him. But she's fifty percent my DNA as well as his. Her teleportation, her phasing, her light energy - all of them were powers Kagato possessed, but I don't know what dark spirits he rose to use them. They're also skills possessed by the Kii priests and priestesses - so Ryoko got a double dose. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes, all that makes sense." Tenchi nodded. "But it doesn't explain why she's not waking up."

"I'm getting there." Washu snapped. "When Tokimi manifested Kihaku's magic, she had all of those powers but also other things as well. Things which I had but always ignored...and things that Ryoko obviously inherited, although neither of us ever realised it."

She sighed, dropping down into her chair and folding her arms across her chest. In that instance the vibrant, cheeky scientist looked older than Tenchi had ever seen her, and despite his own anxiety he felt a pang of sympathy for his companion, who had always put such faith in science to solve all of her problems.

"Have you ever heard of near death experiences?" Washu's question startled him back to himself, and he stared at her, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I think so." He said, surprised. "People talk about seeing white lights or whatever...or seeing their bodies below them...and then they wake up and it was all like some weird dream?"

"Sort of." Washu nodded. "You're part way there. Science on your planet hasn't really managed to define these events yet, so they tend to confine them to the box marked paranormal or unexplained. However, they aren't near death experiences so much as trauma-induced astral projections. The mind and the body are two seperate entities confined in one space. Usually they operate within distinct perameters, but in the event of a sudden shock or disaster, they can be unmeshed and this is what happens when a person experiences such an event."

"Okay, now you're starting to lose me." Tenchi frowned. "_Astral_ projections?"

"To put it more simply, the mind loses the body and goes wandering on its own." Washu said quietly.

"And that's what's happened to Ryoko?"

"It's my best guess." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have a lot of data, which is frustrating to say the least. But as far as I can ascertain, Ryoko's mind is not responding to any of the usual stimuli. Ryo Ohki's connection is broken, which suggests that Ryoko's mind-state isn't in it's usual location. But she's not brain-dead. Her brain is actually functioning at a very high frequency - just not anywhere near what I would consider normal."

She sighed, twisting her fingers together absently in her lap.

"The Kii Priests and Priestesses used to use astral projection as a way to commune with Kihaku." She said slowly. "I can remember a few times when I was a girl that my father would do it, to ask the World for better harvests or milder winters. Tokimi used it to her own ends, to contact Seiryo Tennan and encourage him to do her bidding. Me, I never used it. The science of it was too muddly and inconcise and I never really bothered to pick it apart. And Ryoko..."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Ryoko's biology gives her a natural predisposition towards astral activity." She admitted. "I should have thought of it before, considering everything, but I didn't. The accident happened in the Sea of Sargasso, an area with high levels of spectral energy at the best of times. Any soul can split from their body under intense trauma, and Ryoko's seems to have done just that. Her genetic propensity to be able to do this has just made it happen a lot more easily, that's all."

"So...Ryoko's body is here, but her mind isn't?"

"Exactly."

"But if she isn't here...where _is_ she?" Tenchi squeezed the pale hand between his fingers, eying the scientist anxiously. "I mean, you can bring her back - can't you? If you know what's causing it..."

"I don't know where she is." Washu confessed. "That's what I've spent most of the day trying to figure out. You see, that's the other thing, Tenchi. Near death experiences are usually momentary. A matter of minutes, rather than days. Even given her natural inclinations, Ryoko should have come back by now. It's not normal to maintain an astral projection for this long - even a deliberate one. They're brief snippets in time - a whisper of a world beyond this one. But Ryoko hasn't come back. Wherever she is, something is stopping her from returning. Which makes me suspect that wherever she's been drawn to, it isn't of her own free will. That there's some force preventing her from coming back. Unfortunately that's where my theorising breaks down. I don't know what could have caused that kind of occurance. And I don't have enough data. Ryoko could, quite literally, be anywhere. I really don't know where."

"You mean she might be watching us, even now?" Tenchi glanced around the room. Washu shook her head.

"I doubt it." She said. "Certainly none of my analyses have suggested that the solution is that simple, Tenchi. I don't think she's here at all. In fact, I'm not even sure she's on the Earth."

"Then where?" Tenchi was alarmed. "Still in space? Washu, does she think we've abandoned her to drift somewhere among the stars?"

"Or she's in a world cut off from ours completely."

"I thought astral projections were like walking out of your body - seeing things that were there, not imaginary things." Tenchi frowned. "Am I wrong?"

"No, in general you're not." Washu admitted. "This is part of the problem I'm having too. It's factor X - the unknown quantity in all of this. This is why I'm so sure there's an external force involved. I don't know what it is yet, and it's driving me mad that I can't pin it down. But Ryoko is vulnerable to suggestion and persuasion while in this state. You have to realise that when the mind seperates from the body, it can unleash all kinds of other things into the ether. Memories. Fears. Hopes. Dreams. Heartaches. Nightmares. All of these things spill out into the world and they can't always be reigned in again."

"And that's what's happened?"

"Maybe." Washu inclined her head slightly. "To know for sure, I need to go back up into space - back to where it happened. I don't have enough to work with down here so I can't make an accurate judgement on that."

"But Ryo Ohki is hurt, and she can't fly." Tenchi bit his lip. "How are you going to get up there?"

"Ryo Ohki is nowhere near fit, but Ken Ohki is just bruised." Washu said simply. "I'm going to ask for Nagi's help again."

"And if she refuses?"

"Well, I hope she won't." Washu looked pensive. "But I did create the cabbit ship. And I'm sure I can override her reluctance by introducing him to his creator, just like I did with Ryo Ohki."

"Ryo Ohki loves you because she knows you. Ken Ohki isn't going to turn traitor on Nagi." Tenchi objected. Washu smiled, though the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Perhaps you're right." She acknowledged. "After all, Ken Ohki was only one of my prototypes, and he was stolen from the Academy before I had time to perfect everything. No doubt he's too tightly bound to Nagi to change those things now...such is life, I suppose."

"Nagi stole him from the Academy?" Tenchi stared. Washu shook her head.

"No, I think that was Haki and his Daluma pirates." She responded with a shrug. "The pirates Ryoko said he turned on after he'd heisted the ship from it's docking. There was a lot that went missing that night. I dare say that Ken Ohki fell into Nagi's hands via that route. Bounty hunters do pick up pirates, after all. And they don't always turn in the goods they find aboard pirate ships."

"Nagi would have been too young...wouldn't she?"

"Maybe, but such careers tend to run in the family." Washu said matter-of-factly. "I've no doubt that Nagi came by her furry spaceship because someone in her family snared a pirate, and brought the cute little kitty home for his or her daughter to play with. I didn't spend too long worrying about it at the time, since I was always careful to seal all construction data within the craft - noone could have stolen or replicated it without my notes, even if they had wanted to find out how he was made. And I did say Ken Ohki - or those like him - were prototypes...imperfect. Ryo Ohki was the refined model. On reflection, his was a good basic design, but I always felt the ears were too big and the aerodynamics as a spacecraft were lacking, even if the outer form had a greater overall density."

She shrugged.

"Beggars can't be choosers, so I'll hope Nagi will hear me out." She said simply. "If nothing else, it might give her a lead on Tarant Shank. That might get her interest as much as anything else."

"Well, when you do go, Washu, I want to go with you." Tenchi said firmly. Washu frowned.

"It might be dangerous...I'm not sure I want you." She said reticently. Tenchi's eyes narrowed.

"If it's to help Ryoko, Washu, I'm coming." He said quietly. "I'm not defenceless, and I want to do what I can."

"Well, all right." Washu sighed. "Though let me do the negotiating with our bounty hunter friend, all right? She doesn't seem all too sweet on you."

"Okay." Tenchi nodded his head. "Just please, Washu, make her realise how important this is? We need to bring Ryoko back and if something - or someone - is stopping her, we need to find out what that something is!"

----------

_There was so much blood._

_As he cradled the small girl in his arms, the pirate felt a mixture of emotions flooding through his body. He clutched her tightly, putting a finger to her cheek as he willed her to open her eyes._

_At length she did so, staring up at him with confused and fearful brown eyes. He bit his lip, unable to find words to say. _

_For a moment they remained there, pirate and child, as if time had stopped aboard the spaceship. _

_Then the sound of footsteps on the gantry above sparked the pirate into life and he got to his feet, carefully laying the girl down on the floor._

_She blinked at him, parting her lips as if to speak, but no sound came out. He swallowed hard, watching as she drew a final, gasping breath. Then her eyes closed for the final time, and all was still._

_The footsteps drew closer, and, frightened now, the pirate took a step and then another away from the girl's body, blood still staining his fingers as he turned on his heel, fleeing through the constricting corridors of the vessel. Logical thought abandoned him as he ran, all his usual evasion techniques becoming garbled and confused in his panic to get away.All he could think of was escape...that somehow, he had to get away from this place, and rinse the blood from his hands and his nightmares._

_The pounding steps drew closer, and the terrified pirate was aware of the man's yell as he discovered the body of the little girl._

_"Mirei!" He exclaimed. _

In the belly of the Nagatabi, the girl stirred, anxiety flitting through her as she struggled to process the images that flooded through her mind. For a moment she was unable to seperate them from herself, but then, as each became more vividly clear, she realised that they weren't her own thoughts at all. She sighed, shaking her head at the melancholy that drifted around her. 

Now she knew something more than just the fact she existed. 

"Mirei." She murmured. "Who is she? Is...is she me?"

Another sensation washed over her muddled senses and she raised her gaze upwards, instinctively knowing that the ship's other passenger was awake and immediately above her. The woman's uncertainty washed over her as clearly as if it were her own, and she frowned, surging determinedly up towards the room that had once been some kind of elaborate sitting room in search of her companion.

As she had expected, the woman was there, rummaging absently through bits and pieces that had been boxed and dumped to one side of the room. As she glanced at the boxes, the girl realised that someone had reorganised the room and this recognition surprised her. She clung hold of the memory, frowning as she struggled to bring it more clearly to mind. Now she knew - the room had not always been so cluttered and unkempt. Once, she remembered, it had been bright and cheery and she had spent time here with her dolls and her games. She had always felt safe in this room, and this knowledge drew a smile to her face.

So she did have a past, and somehow, she knew that past was important.

"It's all you." She murmured, secluding herself in the mirror as she watched Ryoko's restless movements. "You must be in my past. You make me remember...you make me real. But why are you here? And why are you so sad? I want to help you...but I don't know how."

As she watched, Ryoko pulled a framed photograph from a box, pausing as she glanced at it twice. She frowned, dusting off the image, and from her vantage point the spirit could make out that it was an image of two girls. A stab of surprise shot through her ghostly senses as she realised one of them was her. She squinted, trying to bring the other more clearly into focus. Had she known that girl? Somewhere deep inside of her she knew she had. But try as she might, she could not remember the child's name.

She frowned, suddenly sad.

"What use is having a past if I can't remember it?" She wondered. "Why can't I remember it? Why do I only ever see other people's memories...what happened to my own?"

As if she had heard the girl's thoughts, Ryoko turned towards her, and for a moment the two - pirate and ghost - met gazes in the mirror. Then Ryoko let out a yell, dropping the picture to the floor as she sprang back, alarm flickering in her amber eyes. The suddenness of the yell rocketed through the spirit as she felt the strength of the woman's emotions suddenly overwhelm her. With a gasp, she found her form dispersing, forced back down into the depths of the ship as she struggled to fight against the tide.

----

"Ryoko?"

Back in the ship's salon, Ryoko was regaining control of her senses, turning to glare at Hotsuma as he entered the room. She bent to pick up the photograph, sending him an unpleasant look as she fingered the edges of the broken glass.

"I want to know what the hell is going on." She exclaimed. "Who is this girl, Hotsuma?"

"Which girl?" Hotsuma looked blank, and Ryoko thrust the photo at him, putting her hands on her hips as he took it from her, glancing it over. For a moment, a look of anxiety seemed to flit through the pirate's blue eyes, and then he got a grip on himself, shrugging his shoulders.

"How the hell should I know?" He protested. "I stole this ship...I didn't decorate it. It's an old picture...it probably belonged to the family who owned it before I did. That's all."

"That's all, huh?" Ryoko snatched the picture back. "Then tell me something, all right?"

She pointed at the faces in the frame.

"If it's as old as you say it is, how is it possible that that is Princess Sasami of Jurai, and that she's not much older in that than she actually is now?" She demanded. "And, more to the point, why the hell did I just see _that_ girl watching me from the other side of the mirror?"

"_What_?" Hotsuma stared at her, and Ryoko was aware of that flickering anxiety once again. Then he snatched the photo away, dropping it carelessly down into a box on the side.

"You're seeing things." He said frankly. "People don't live in mirrors, and you must be mistaken about the Princess Sasami. All those royal types are inter-bred anyway...it's probably one of her relatives."

"I know Sasami very well, Hotsuma." Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "In fact, you might say we're close enough to be family. So that won't work for me. I'm not imagining things and I know a face when I see it. Sasami is in that picture, and Sasami's only thirteen years old, even now. And that girl was definitely staring at me from behind that mirror - whether you want to believe me or not."

"Fine." Hotsuma held up his hands in mock-surrender. "I'll go and look in the mirror for you, see if there are any ghosts sneaking around there. Who knows, maybe they get bored and invite princesses over for tea - it's possible, I suppose. Jurai is a strange place."

He smiled at her, but it was a strange smile and Ryoko could not place it.

"Would that help?"

"Don't mock me." Ryoko snapped. "I know what I saw. She was there, Hotsuma...right there in the glass."

"Well, there's nothing here now." Hotsuma shrugged, and Ryoko was almost sure she could hear the relief in his tones as he peered deeply into the glinting crystal. "So I don't know what you saw...but it must have been a trick of the light."

"It wasn't!"

"So you believe in ghosts now?" Hotsuma demanded, raising an eyebrow as he turned to meet her gaze. "Funny. I'm sure you're the same pirate who told me that ghosts were nothing more than drunken pirate hallucinations."

"Well, maybe I've changed my mind." Ryoko responded, exasperated. "Look, whether you believe me or not, Hotsuma, she was there. And it was that girl in the picture. Are you sure you don't know who she is?"

"Ryoko, if she's the kind of person who associates with Juraian royalty, I'm hardly likely to know anything about her." Hotsuma said simply. "I don't know how to explain Sasami-hime's presence in the picture, but to me it looks more than likely that it's not Sasami at all - maybe it's her sister, or her cousin, or something like that. Perhaps you hit your head a lot harder than I thought when Shank's ray blasted you. It's not uncommon to imagine you see things, when you've a concussion."

"Hotsuma!"

"Hey, I'm not saying you're crazy." Hotsuma rested a hand on her arm. "But Ryoko, you did take a beating. And you have had a lot of nasty shocks of late. It makes much more sense than ghosts flitting around the bowels of my ship...and you have to realise this picture is far too old to have been taken recently."

Ryoko rubbed her temples.

"It looks like Sasami to me." She whispered. "Explain this to me, Hotsuma. If that isn't Sasami-hime, why is that Ryo Ohki she has with her?"

"Ryo Ohki?" Hotsuma scooped up the picture once more, frowning as he glanced at it more closely. "Now I know you're imagining things. Ryo Ohki probably isn't the only cabbit in the universe - hell, Nagi's ship was testament to that. Didn't you ever stop to think that yours came from somewhere originally? That's a cabbit, for sure. But Ryo Ohki? I don't think so. More likely one of her relatives - you always did tell me that you didn't know where she originally came from. And you did find her on Jurai - didn't you?"

"Yes." Ryoko acknowledged, "But..."

"Then more than likely Ryo Ohki is descended from a long line of Juraian cabbits, and you're grasping at straws because you want to believe you see her in the picture." Hotsuma cut across her, shaking his head. "You're trying to hang on to something that's gone, but what you're saying...it's just not possible, Ryoko."

"Nor is what you're suggesting." Ryoko said flatly. "Ryo Ohki was genetically engineered and I know who by and when, now. There were no cabbits before her and Ken Ohki, and there probably aren't any others now, either. You're the one who's grasping - Hotsuma, why don't you tell me the truth?"

"Ryoko, you should hear yourself." Hotsuma looked resigned. "Listen to me. I have no idea why you think you see your ship and some Juraian brat in a photo that was probably taken at least ten Juraian years or more ago. I don't know Princess Sasami - pirates and princesses don't tend to share acquaintances - and I wouldn't know her from Adam if she was to jump on my head screaming her name. Furthermore, I stole this ship, I didn't inherit it. So I know nothing about the family who owned it before I did."

Ryoko sighed.

"All right." She said at length. "I know what I saw, but I guess I'm sorry. I probably do sound crazy...if I wasn't so sure that it was real, I'd be doubting my sanity also. But she was there, Hotsuma."

"I don't believe in ghosts - and nor do you."

"I know." Ryoko acknowledged. "But she was real, all the same."

She frowned, glancing across at the mirror, then,

"How did you come by this ship anyway, Hotsuma?"

"I told you. I acquired it in a raid."

"Yes...but surely if that's true, there were people on board at the time."

"No..." Hotsuma shook his head, although Ryoko had the distinct impression that he was lying. "Not really. It had been raided already by Daluma, so it was abandoned."

"And the Daluma left all the family's junk behind?"

"Maybe they saw your ghost." Hotsuma smiled at her ruefully. "They're superstitious, after all."

"Not superstitious enough." Ryoko grimaced. "And who knows - maybe they're right."

She moved across to the mirror, touching the glass hesitantly as she did so.

"Maybe the dead can talk." She murmured. "Maybe she was trying to tell me something. Something about Tenchi, even. Something from across the divide...and I scared her off."

"Right. That's enough of that." Hotsuma said firmly, taking her roughly by the arm and propelling her towards the door of the chamber. "You're getting more and more irrational with every word and I'm not going to have it. Besides, I have something I want to show you - something tangible and real and well away from this room and hallucinated spirits."

"I told you, I didn't hallucinate it!"

"Well, I think you did, and I'm fed up with discussing it." Hotsuma said unmovingly. "Come on, Ryoko. Else it will be gone before you get there."

"What will?" Despite herself, Ryoko sent her companion a confused look. "What are you trying to show me?"

"Wait and see." Was all her companion vouchsafed. "Up here...to the bridge. It will be worth it. I promise."

Ryoko frowned, but made no demur and the pirate led her carefully up to the bridge of the ship, guiding her towards the perspex that divided them from the space beyond.

"Look." He pointed, and Ryoko followed his line of sight across the blackness, her breath catching in her throat as she made out the flaming tail of a comet speeding between the stars.

"Is that what you wanted me to see?" She asked softly. Hotsuma nodded.

"I remembered that you always loved pretty things in space." he said gently. "You've had so much bad stuff happen, I wanted to give you something good to focus on, too. Isn't it stunning? I haven't seen a comet's tail blaze like that since...well, I don't know when."

"I do." Ryoko pressed her hands against the glass, her eyes becoming dreamy as she stared out across the darkness. "It was after our haul on the Intergalactic Central Bank, when we'd evaded the Galaxy Police and sent at least one patrol vessel spinning off course. We had just entered Balta space, and there was a comet just like this one, speeding across the sky. You said it was an omen - a sign that we'd made it to safety. And you were right. They never did catch up with us."

She sighed.

"It was just as pretty as this one." She murmured. "They say no two comets are the same, but I'm not sure."

"I'd forgotten about that raid." Hotsuma admitted. "But I think you're right. That was the last time for me, too. Funny, isn't it, how we were together then and we're together now?"

"Maybe." Ryoko shrugged. "I guess I haven't spent so much time in space since we stopped flying together."

"That's not like you, you know." Hotsuma frowned. "You always said that you were only happy when you were speeding between the stars - that having roots could only slow you down."

"That was before I had roots, I suppose." Ryoko said pensively. "It's still hard to believe I'm alone again, Hotsuma. That a universe that can spawn such beautiful things as that comet could be so cold and empty."

"I wouldn't call it cold or empty." Hotsuma looked thoughtful. "Everything exists in space, Ryoko. Planets, stars, meteors. Land, sea, trees and mountains. Everything is here...you can go where you choose and have whatever you want. It's all there for the taking. How can that be empty, when you can have it all?"

"Not everything." Ryoko murmured. An involuntary shiver wracked through her body as a cold chill whipped across the bridge, and she rubbed her arms absently, shaking her head.

"Some things you can't just take." She added. "Once they're gone, they're gone forever."

"Ryoko." Hotsuma frowned, hesitating then sliding his arm around her. "You have to let go."

Ryoko hesitated, a sudden sense of melancholy washing through her as she contemplated his words. Then she sighed, leaning her head absently on his shoulder.

"But I don't let things go. Not when they matter to me." She said succinctly. "Have you had any luck finding the Daidalos yet? I know you were going to try and trace Shank's vapour trail."

"Nothing yet, but I'm still working on it. Nagatabi is a good ship but not as quick or as smart as Gai'En." Hotsuma shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't let you down. Shank's no friend of mine, either, remember. He's a Daluma, and I'm at least occasionally still a Balta."

"Why did Komachi ever let you go?" Ryoko gazed up at him. "You were her best raider...I can't believe she just relinquished her grip on you so easily as that."

"Well, Komachi is a wise woman." Hotsuma rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "She and I, we cut a deal. She knew that I was too ambitious to stay subservient in the guild, so she cut me free. Allowed me to leave and fly under my own steam. But in return, I was sworn not to attack Balta craft, and I've kept that vow. Komachi respected you because you aligned yourself with me - and she knew that I would keep my word to her, whoever else I might lie to."

"I was never cut out for a guild." Ryoko said thoughtfully. "Too much emphasis on mutual slaughter. I just wanted to have fun, Hotsuma. To take things I couldn't buy, and to annoy people who'd hurt me - but mostly I just wanted to have fun. To be the rebel, to create chaos and confusion and to do exactly as I pleased. Forever."

"And now?" Hotsuma questioned. "Do you still want those things, Ryoko-chan?"

"I don't know." Ryoko glanced at her hands. "Too much is still going on in my head to know."

She paused, then disentangled herself from his grip, casting him a smile.

"But thank you for showing me the comet." She added. "You reminded me that not everything in space is bleak and ugly, at the very least."

"I'm glad of that." Hotsuma grinned, and Ryoko could see the mischief flickering in the depths of his eyes. "Because I was starting to despair of you, Ryoko."

"I really did see a ghost, you know."

"Maybe you did." Hotsuma shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "I don't care. If they exist, then they're dead and gone and they can't do anything to hurt us. And dead spirits can't control spaceships. So just forget about what you thought you saw, Ryoko. If it wasn't imagination, then it's irrelevant. And we have more important things to focus on than what you think you've seen in the mirror."

"True." Ryoko nodded, determination flaring inside of her. "Finding Shank."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"It doesn't matter how many times you come here, it doesn't get any less creepy."

Washu sighed, glancing out across the cluttered Sargasso space as Ken Ohki drifted neatly between the rusting hulls of the dead spacecrafts. "Nagi, I appreciate you doing this. I know Ken Ohki's still a bit beaten about - but the sooner I can figure out what's going on, the better it will be for Ryoko."

"Ken Ohki isn't a weak ship. He's flown with worse injuries." Nagi said frankly, running her fingers absently over the ship's controls and drawing a yowl from her craft. "Besides, all he's done since we've been on the earth is fret and bother me about Ryo Ohki. It's good to get him back in space again - it means I can leave that hell hole planet and get back to doing what I do best - hunting down creeps like Tarant Shank."

"Do you think he'll still be in Sargasso?" Tenchi asked hesitantly. "After all, his craft was damaged too, right?"

"He's not here." Nagi sent him a long-suffering look. "Although if you could read a radar screen, Prince of Jurai, you'd know that already. Unfortunately we probably won't be seeing him today. He'll be long gone from here by now - thanks to us wasting so much time."

"Do you care even a little bit about Ryoko's life?" Tenchi demanded. Nagi looked amused.

"It's not my problem." She said simply.

"Well, whyever you're here, we appreciate it." Washu said frankly. "Just a little further on should do it, Nagi - if you don't mind. It was somewhere around here - I recognise the outline of a couple of these vessels from our last trip and that looks like some debris from the craft Shank blew up."

Ken Ohki mewed at this point, and Nagi glanced upwards, a frown touching her lips.

"It's here all right. He can pick up the Daidalos's emissions." She said quietly, clenching her fists. "And Ryo Ohki's, too. We're in the right area. And like I thought, Shank has gone. Damn him. Damn Daluma! It's not often I get a chance to snare a criminal like him."

"Nagi, you have my word that if I can build anything to help you catch Shank, I'll put my skills entirely at your disposal." Washu promised. "Just so long as you stay here right now and let me grab the samples I need. I know you want to go chasing off after him, and Ken Ohki's picked up his trail, but we really do need your help. And even if you've resigned your interest in Ryoko's life, Tenchi and I haven't given up on it yet."

"All right. I accept your offer." Nagi nodded. "Although the longer I leave it, the more likely Daidalos is to be fixed and back to it's worst."

"Well, I'm familiar with the structure of the cabbit ship. I'm sure I can find a way to enhance Ken Ohki's shields, if need be." Washu said absently, as she carefully prepared her equipment, checking all the switches and levers as she keyed in a set of instructions. "The problem with the last attack was that he hit us unawares. We weren't expecting pirate company. Careless of us, perhaps...but if I'd had advance warning, Ryo Ohki wouldn't have been so badly damaged as she was."

She stood back from her computer system, eying it approvingly. "There. That should do it. Although I really need to get my sensor out into open space. I don't suppose you'd open Ken Ohki's hatch for me, just for a second?"

"Not a chance." Nagi held up her hands. "I'm not an idiot - we'd all be sucked out into that mess of debris before you could say pirate raid."

"I had a feeling you might feel that way." Washu sighed. "Oh well."

"Isn't there any other way around it, Washu?" Tenchi asked. "Can we link Ken Ohki to one of the dead ships somehow, and do it that way?"

"No...Ken Ohki isn't built with a passageway, and I already told you, it's too dangerous to randomly go walking around dead spacecraft, in case there's no air." Washu shook her head. "I could do it, but I don't want to leave my equipment abandoned. I need to see the readings. Nagi has to pilot, and you're just too vulnerable. So it's not an option."

"Washu, I've been in open space before and I haven't died."

"Yes, but that was because of the Light Hawk Wings, and we both know you can't control them yet." Washu shook her head. "I won't risk it."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Hope and pray that I can get it through Ken Ohki's dome without getting my hand stuck." Washu grimaced. "I'm making no promises, but it seems like the only answer."

"Hand...stuck?" Nagi stared at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Yes. I'm going to try and phase it through."

"I thought you lost your magic, when Kihaku exploded." Tenchi frowned. "How are you going to do that, if you don't have your Kii powers any more?"

"I have flickers of them." Washu admitted. "Over the last month or so, they've been there - deep inside of me. But they're only very faint. I think it's like the Jurai power - that gets passed on through the family just as it gets handed over directly by Tsunami's grace. I inherited some of that magic when I was born, which is why I always had it outside of Kihaku's blessing. Now it's only a shadow of what it once was, but it's the only option we have, so I'm going to do it."

"A Kii, huh?" Nagi looked interested. "I thought they'd all died out."

"Not this one." Washu said grimly. "But we're what you might call an endangered species."

"That explains a lot about Ryoko, then, doesn't it." Nagi said thoughtfully. "I always thought her magic was unnatural."

Washu frowned, but did not respond. Instead she moved across to the side of the ship, closing her eyes for a moment as her grip tightened on the sensor in her hand. Then, focusing all her energy through her body to the ends of her fingers, she pushed her fist up against the crystal dome, willing it to go through with all her heart.

To begin with, nothing happened. Then, very slightly, she felt her atoms shift and she pushed harder, determined to get the sensor through before her strength ran out. At length she managed it, withdrawing her hand hurriedly as she felt her cells reassemble themselves into their usual order. She winced, glancing at the red tips of her fingers.

"That was not comfortable." She said ruefully. "I'm really not the witch I once was."

"Are you all right?" Tenchi sounded anxious. "You've gone white, Washu. Are you sure you should've done that?"

"I'll be fine." Washu nodded. "Now to find out exactly what we're dealing with. The spectral readings are already off the chart - so I think I must be right in my suggestion that this is the root cause of the problem. If Ryoko is anywhere, I think we'll find her here."

"And then we can bring her back?"

"One step at a time, Tenchi." Washu shrugged. "Let's see what we're up against first."

Tenchi moved across the drive room of the ship, gazing out across space at the dead craft with a frown.

"They don't look like anything much. Just empty shells, most of them." He remarked absently. "It's almost sad, that they just get dumped here when they're no longer serviceable."

"Not all spaceships are sentient." Nagi said frankly. "They probably don't care, so there's no reason why you should. Besides, a lot of them are pirate vessels. And the pirates are too dead to care what happens to their ship, so I'm not going to waste any time worrying about them."

"What would you do, then, if it was Ken Ohki?" Tenchi asked. Nagi shook her head.

"Ken Ohki regenerates. It's not an issue." She said with a shrug. "And if something happens to me, he knows what to do...who to go to. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not completely alone in this universe, Tenchi. Just because you consider me nothing more than a cold blooded pirate killer doesn't mean I don't have connections."

"I never said..."

"You don't have to." Nagi offered him a humourless smile. "I'm not stupid."

"Well, you've always been Ryoko's enemy, and well..."

"And you made her fall in love with you, thus ruining my fun for the rest of eternity." Nagi shook her head disapprovingly. "I didn't know she was that weak, but then most pirates are, when you get down to it. I had thought she was different - her continued evasions of my attacks gave me hope that I'd at last found a challenge worthy of my skills. For a long time, it did seem like I had. But I don't want to fight her now. Even if she was fit, she's not the pirate she was - nor is she the fighter. It's just not worth it. You ruined her, and it's a one way trip."

"I didn't ruin her - and Ryoko fights just as fiercely as she ever did." Tenchi protested. Nagi raised an eyebrow.

"And that's why she's lying in a coma, on the Earth?" She asked softly. "My mistake."

"Did you come to help or to gloat?"

"Stop it, both of you. Please. I need to concentrate." Washu grimaced at them. "Save it for later. These readings are crazy...I'm trying to make sense of them but it's all jumbled up. I just think I get a hint of something that might resemble Ryoko - but there are other forces that are stronger, and I'm not even sure I'm right. In fact, this is reminding me more and more of Sasami's trip through the mirror. I had the same problem pin-pointing her then, too - only with Sasami, it was her physical form that travelled through the glass. Not her psychic one."

"Travelling through mirrors now?" Nagi snorted. "You people are far too weird for ordinary conversation."

"It was a ghost ship on our way to Jurai." Tenchi remembered. "Sasami disappeared one night, when we were stuck in Sargasso. And we never did find out exactly what went on...where she'd been. She wouldn't tell us. But Washu picked up spectral energy that night too."

"Ions." Washu agreed absently. "And the readings I'm getting now look very similar to those, if I'm truthful."

"Are you saying _ghosts_ have Ryoko?" Tenchi stared. Washu shrugged.

"A ghost." She said cautiously. "Possibly. It's just occured to me, Tenchi - we're not far from the ship that Sasami disappeared into, all those years back. The Nagatabi. I can't believe I didn't make that connection sooner. Maybe there aren't ghosts here as a rule - but there was definite energy aboard that one. Strong psychic and ethereal readings...enough to form at least one independant entity."

"Ghosts don't exist." Nagi said firmly.

"If we're dealing with ghosts." Washu sighed. "I'm not sure we are. Not exactly, anyhow. What people consider to be ghosts often aren't ghosts at all - but the result of seperation, like what's happened to Ryoko. If a soul is seperated from the body for too long, it loses its way back. That's when it becomes trapped...and those were the readings I got when we boarded the Nagatabi the last time. Psychic readings but without physical form to back it up. At the time there were a lot of things that didn't make sense - including why Sasami was involved - but I didn't know then that Sasami was Tsunami's chosen one. Now I do, it makes a lot more sense. Tsunami has tremendous psychic energy and somehow that attracted this...well, for want of a better term, this spirit to her."

"So whatever took Sasami was probably like Ryoko - astrally projecting but without being able to find a way back?" Tenchi asked. Washu shrugged.

"More likely, there was no way back." She said quietly. "I told you, Tenchi, these projections don't last very long. The body can't sustain itself for great periods of time without the presence of the mind. Eventually the divide is too far to breach and it breaks. That's when the person dies. Whatever took Sasami that day was the severed soul of someone who had died and who wasn't prepared for it to happen. Sudden and violent death is the usual precursor to this kind of activity. This being tried to keep hold of Sasami, and now it looks like he or she has done the same to Ryoko."

"But Ryoko isn't Tsunami." Tenchi objected.

"No, but she is a lot stronger than she was, thanks to the gems she assimilated with during the fight with Kagato." Washu rubbed her temples. "And she has telepathic and psychic potential. Her bond with Ryo Ohki was increased threefold by the gems. It's not surprising that she should be vulnerable now when she wasn't before. And this time she was directly hurt...directly unmeshed. Last time she wasn't either."

"So how do we get her back?"

"That's what I'm trying to work out." Washu admitted. "I'm debating whether boarding the Nagatabi would even help, this time. We're not looking for a person, after all. We're basically looking for a ghost, and even if we find her, there's no guarantee we can communicate with her or send her back to where she belongs. We're stuck in physical form - and she's not. The last time, we couldn't communicate with the spirit because she was on a different plane to us. Sasami only could because of her overwhelming natural magic. We don't have Sasami this time."

"So _that_ ship is the Nagatabi, huh?"

Nagi's voice made both of them jump, so intent had they been on their conversation. "That's interesting...that it should be that ship you're talking about."

"You know something about the Nagatabi, Nagi?" Washu eyed the bounty hunter curiously, and Nagi inclined her head.

"Yes." She agreed. "You could say that I've heard stories."

"Well, anything you can tell us would help." Washu sighed. "They didn't involve spectral sightings, did they? These stories of yours?"

"I don't listen to _ghost_ stories." Nagi said scathingly. "No. I know about it because everyone knew about it, at the time."

She shrugged, leaning up against Ken Ohki's control panel as she did so.

"The Nagatabi was an Arian vessel." She said at length. "Far as I know, it belonged to some rich Arian family - a Lord or a Daimyo or some kind of pretentious title. Anyhow, he and his daughter made a trip on it through space one time - a trip they'd obviously done so many times he became complacent and careless about his security. The craft was attacked by pirates, and the little girl was killed."

"Killed?" Tenchi stared. "But...how?"

"Use your imagination." Nagi said acidly. "Whatever Ryoko has led you to believe, very few pirates care much about spilling blood, even the blood of a child."

"Do we think that's the entity that has Ryoko?" Tenchi glanced at Washu, who shrugged.

"Possible." She admitted. "Although when we were aboard, I did think I detected another entity - an incomplete being, true, but a spectral life form all the same. Tenchi, don't you remember? I think you yelled at me for having my priorities off-kilter."

"Vaguely." Tenchi acknowledged. "But it was just a glowing light...not even vaguely a person. The one that dragged Sasami into the mirror was almost a person - a person made of light. And I'd say it was a child...it wasn't bigger than Sasami, certainly."

"Then it sounds like you have your mystery solved. Glad to be of service." Nagi bowed mockingly towards him. Tenchi grimaced.

"Nagi. Stop it. Please."

"No, there has to be something more." Washu glanced at the readings. "I'm not picking up any half-formed entities. Not this time. And whatever it was that took Sasami, it didn't hurt her. Sasami was fine - in fact, she seemed to enjoy her little adventure. Not to mention the fact she was returned to us within a few hours. This is different on all levels. Firstly, Ryoko's only been pulled into something astrally. Not physically. Secondly, she's not been returned to us in any form. Thirdly...something just isn't right. Nagi, do you know anything more about the Nagatabi? The raid? What happened to the girl's father?"

"He returned to his planet to stand trial." Nagi said with a shrug. "Although of course he was acquitted. Powerful people usually are, as you'll know. And the ship was relegated to Sargasso - if memory serves me correctly, Arians are a damn hard species to kill properly, and if there's a death aboard one of their ships, that ship is usually decomissioned. They're funny about things like that. Probably they thought it was haunted, just like you do. Waste of a perfectly good spaceship - but there's no accounting for taste."

"Hang on. He went on trial for what?" Tenchi frowned. "You just said pirates killed his daughter. Didn't you?"

"Yes." Nagi inclined her head slightly. "Or so the story goes. But the father had blood on his hands too. He killed the pirate...didn't I tell you that?"

"No, you didn't." Washu's eyes narrowed. "But I'm starting to see a tenuous connection. Nagi, what about this pirate? Was he aligned with Haki or the Daluma? They seem to have a hate at Ryoko and she did say that Shank's family had ships moored here."

"On the contrary." Nagi looked amused. "The pirate in question was a former Balta - and a friend of Ryoko's."

"A friend?" Tenchi blanched. "Nagi, you don't think Ryoko was aboard Nagatabi when this happened?"

"The night Nagatabi was raided, Ryoko was witnessed attacking two prestigious banks off Shitori's orbit." Nagi dismissed this with a careless flick of her hand. "Even she isn't stupid enough to get involved in a messy business like a bungled kidnap. It's thought that was the motive - though with the pirate slain, they never found out for sure. Either way, the girl - I think her name was Mirei - was killed and so was her would be abductor. His ship floats here just as surely as hers does. In fact, you can see it from here. Look. Across the other side of that gutted patrol bug."

"I see." Washu squinted through space at the deserted craft. "What happened to the pirate's body, after he was killed?"

"Claimed by the Galaxy Police as 'evidence'." Nagi shrugged. "That's why his ship wound up here. They interred him somewhere in a convict graveyard - I wouldn't like to guess where they plant those suckers. I only deal with them when they're alive, not after they've cooled. But that would be my guess. He was condemned as this Mirei's murderer, and laid to rest in a regulation convict's grave. Dead pirates don't generally get hearings - it's too much work and there's not much point. Their guilt is pretty much a certainty."

"How did he know Ryoko, Nagi?" Tenchi asked softly. Nagi smiled, a flicker of malice in her red eyes.

"Difficult to say. Perhaps they were lovers. Certainly they were blood-bonded, because I saw the scar across her hand myself." She said frankly. "I always regretted that I never had the chance to take him down. He intervened once, when I was fighting Ryoko, and provided her getaway. If I had known he was involved, I would have got them both. But they were sneaky and I didn't ever get the chance to redress the balance. Hotsuma was killed before I could lay paws on him, and Ryoko...well, thanks to you people, I never did quite manage to bring her in."

"Hotsuma, huh?" Washu pursed her lips. "I never heard the name before. Tenchi, you know Ryoko better than I do. Has she ever mentioned him to you?"

"No." Tenchi shook his head, and Washu could see the mixture of emotions cross his face. "I guess she didn't think that mentioning former lovers to me would go down very well."

"But he's dead." Nagi said matter-of-factly. "What's wrong, Prince of Jurai? Are you jealous of a ghost?"

"If that ghost has my girlfriend, then I'm not overly pleased with him, no." Tenchi snapped back. "Washu, do you think that's possible? Could it be Hotsuma who has Ryoko, not this Mirei girl at all?"

"I'm working on the same thought process myself." Washu admitted grimly. "If Nagi is right - and they were blood-bonded - it would explain a whole lot more about the readings I've had, and why it was Ryoko who was targeted. If he was the malformed spirit that we encountered that day aboard the ship, then he must be feeding off Ryoko's memories and emotions to even exist, through that pirate bond. That's why he won't let her go. He has no existance without her."

"Can they still be bonded, even after death?" Tenchi wondered. Nagi shrugged.

"Pirates would say so." She agreed. "Superstitious idiots, the lot of them."

"Then we have to go to the Nagatabi. We have to get her back!" 

"Tenchi..." Washu placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I told you...one step at a time. I know you want to pull her back - so do I. But we have to be careful, too. If any of these things are right, Ryoko's thoughts and memories are all open season. Going in rashly could hurt her and even sever the bond between her and her real life completely. We don't want to kill her because we're badly prepared."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Right now, we're going back to the Earth." Washu sighed. "Nagi, if you don't mind...I think we're done here for now. I'll begin work this evening on enhancing Ken Ohki's defences - because I have a feeling I might need to call on more favours from you in the next day or so, and I'd prefer it if you didn't choose to leave just yet."

Nagi frowned, her lips thinning at this.

"I don't like the Earth." She said at length. "But I suppose that I will stand a better chance against Shank if you can increase Ken Ohki's potential. So all right. For now, we'll go back."

--------

He was dreaming again.

Mirei darted through the darkened ship, passing through the walls as she moved closer and closer to the dark, fear-ridden thoughts that punctuated every space. As she reached the chamber which he had claimed for his own, the sensation became overwhelming and for a moment it was everything she could do to keep her thoughts seperate from his. At length she succeeded, pushing through the divide into the chamber and pausing by his bed.

He tossed and turned in his sleep, occasionally crying out against some invisible force, and despite herself, Mirei felt a sense of compassion touch her senses.

"Don't be scared." She murmured. "It will be all right."

She hovered her hand above his shoulder, but then she hesitated, unwilling to disturb him. His angry words towards her the night Ryoko had appeared on the ship had alarmed her and that memory was still too fresh in her thoughts for her to fight against it. Instead she just stood there, watching him for a moment as he struggled against invisible forces. Snippets of his nightmare still teased at her, as if threatening to wake ideas that had long since lain dormant, but she wasn't able to make sense of them and at length she frowned, shaking her head.

"I can't help you." She realised. "I don't know how."

"Ryoko..." Hotsuma's words were barely coherent, but at the sound of the woman's name Mirei froze, staring at him with new resolve.

"Ryoko." She echoed. "Of course. Ryoko. It's her - I knew it was. I have to find her. She'll know...she can tell me and then everything will be all right. I'm sure she will. She saw the photograph and she seemed to recognise...I need to speak to Ryoko. She can help...I know she can help. That's why she's here."

To think was to act and she flitted into the crystal of the mirror, focusing her thoughts on the ship's other inhabitant. Ryoko was not sleeping, that much she knew, and as she surged upwards she became aware that her missing pirate was on the bridge alone, staring sightlessly out at the stars that seemed to drift past the window. For a moment Mirei faltered, unsure as to the reception she would get. Then she steeled herself, grasping a tight hold of her resolve as she hovered forwards, resting a spectral hand on the woman's shoulder.

Ryoko started, springing back at the sight of her and energy crackled between her fingers as she stared at the phantom with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Who are you!" She demanded. "I knew you were real...I knew I hadn't hallucinated you! What do you want? Because I...I don't believe in ghosts and I'm not scared of you!"

"I want you to tell me." Mirei said confusingly, and Ryoko blinked.

"Pardon me?"

"You had the picture." Mirei explained softly. "You must know...will you tell me? Please?"

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Slowly Ryoko lowered her hands, eying her companion in wary distrust. "Who are you and what do you mean? What picture? What must I know?"

"The picture of me. And the girl."

"The picture of Sasami?" Comprehension flitted into the bright amber eyes and Mirei's expression became hopeful.

"Sasami." She repeated. "That's her name?"

"If you mean the picture I found, then yes. Sasami." Ryoko frowned. "But you're in the picture too. Aren't you? Why don't you know who she is?"

"I don't know a lot of things any more." Mirei became sad, and spectral tears glistened on her lashes. "I forget things. It's so hard to hang onto anything. I thought...I thought you might know. That you could tell me...what I don't know."

"How would I know anything about it?" Ryoko demanded. "I never saw you before. And Sasami might have met you - but I sure as hell haven't before Hotsuma brought me aboard the Nagatabi. So what you think I can tell you I don't know. Is that why you're haunting me? Because you think I knew you?"

She faltered, then,

"I mean...you are...dead, aren't you? You _are_ a ghost?"

"Dead?" Mirei looked surprised, glancing down at her hands. "I don't know. Do you think so? Maybe that's why I don't remember things any more."

Ryoko eyed her for a moment, as if trying to ascertain if her companion was sincere. Then she sighed, dropping her hands to her sides and sinking down onto a steel bench.

"All right." She said resignedly. "Lets say that for a mad moment I believe you and I take it as read you don't know who you are or why you're here. You must know _something_. I mean, why else would you settle on me? Just because of Sasami's picture? I don't get it."

"Sasami...she was special." Mirei frowned, closing her eyes as she struggled to remember. "I can almost see her...she laughed a lot, and she played with me. We played...we played in her world, and her memories and thoughts were so bright and happy. I wanted to stay there forever, but she couldn't...I couldn't. She had to go home, and then...I don't know what happened after that."

She held out a hand and hesitantly Ryoko touched it. Immediately a flood of pictures washed over Mirei's senses and the spirit gasped, pulling her hand back.

"I remember Sasami." She whispered. "It _is_ you. You _are_ the reason I'm here."

"That doesn't make any sense." Ryoko looked impatient. "If you are dead, then you were here a long time before I was. And you were here when Sasami...but that ship was...in Sargasso."

Her brows drew together, and Mirei could see she was processing this information carefully. Gently the spirit settled herself at her companion's side.

"Sargasso is where the dead ships go." She murmured. "And you were there because you hid from pirates, Ryoko-san. But you're sad...I know you're sad. And you think he's dead. Don't you? The one you love."

"What did you say?" Ryoko started. "What do you know about me? If you don't know who you are, how can you know who I am?"

"I touched you. I can feel your thoughts and memories, just like I can feel the man's." Mirei frowned. "The one you call Hot...Hotsuma. But I can't find my own. It's lost somewhere, and noone seems to remember. I think, sometimes, that he does - but he won't speak to me. He's not like you. He won't listen...but I want to help."

"You want to help Hotsuma? Do what?" Ryoko looked confused. "He stole your ship - right out of a graveyard, if this really is the ship Sasami got herself lost aboard. Why would you want to do anything for him? More likely he woke you, not me. He disturbed you when he took Nagatabi out of Sargasso and made it a raiding ship."

"Nagatabi." Mirei repeated the word thoughtfully. "That's my ship? This ship?"

"That's what Hotsuma told me." Ryoko nodded. Mirei glanced across the bridge, staring out thoughtfully at the stars.

"None of it is real any more." She admitted sadly. "I can't make sense of it all. I just want to go back...but I don't know how to. I just wanted to play...I wish I could remember. I know it matters. But I can't. I can't."

The ghostly tears slid down her cheeks and she dashed them away, struggling to contain her emotions. "You make me sad, Ryoko-san. You make me want to cry because you're crying, too. You just won't show it, that's all."

"I'm not crying." Ryoko snapped. "You don't know a thing about me, so don't make assumptions that you do."

"Your spaceship died." Mirei said sadly. "And you loved her very much. Someone loved this ship too, once. I know that...I remember that. But I can't remember who, or why. I don't know how I got here, or why I'm still here."

"You said you wanted to help Hotsuma." Ryoko said quietly. "Why does he need help? Aside from the fact he's bagged himself a haunted ship, what else has he done?"

"I don't know." Mirei frowned, screwing up her face as she struggled to remember. "He has dreams...they scare him. Bad dreams. Sometimes they wash over me, and they scare me, too. They're powerful thoughts, and I don't know how to stop them. He knows I'm here, even if he lies and tells you he doesn't. He's afraid of me - I think he thinks I want to hurt him. But I don't. Really. I just want to help him. Somehow I know it's why I'm here, even though nobody else comes to this ship any more."

"What kind of dreams?"

"Bad dreams." Mirei repeated decidedly. She held out her hand once more. "Will you come with me? I'll take you there. You can talk to him - he likes you."

"That's always been a matter of opinion." Ryoko said darkly. "He wanted to control me once, that's closer to the truth. Whatever his motives for bringing me here, I really don't know what he expects me to do. And I don't understand what you want me to do. I don't even know your name, and apparently, nor do you."

"It...might be Mirei." Mirei said hesitantly. "I...I think."

"You think?"

"When he dreams, sometimes he says that name. And your name." Mirei nodded. "And there's noone else here. I know you're Ryoko. So I...I must be Mirei. Mustn't I?"

"I suppose that makes sense." Ryoko rubbed her temples. "As much as any of this makes sense. All right...Mirei. Where are you going to take me?"

"I won't hurt you." Mirei promised. "Through the mirrors, to Hotsuma-san's room."

"I don't need to go through mirrors to get there. I can teleport." Ryoko shook her head. "And I'd rather not trust the word of someone who doesn't even know if they're dead or not. If you don't mind."

Mirei bit her lip, hurt flickering in her brown eyes, but she nodded.

"Then will you go to him on your own?" She begged. "He suffers a lot when he sleeps and it makes the ship so unhappy."

Ryoko sighed.

"All right." She agreed reluctantly. "I'll go. But bear this in mind, all right? Whether you're dead or not, or a ghost or whatever you are - I don't appreciate being haunted. So no more sneaking up on me from behind, okay? Else we'll find out how much electric energy can hurt spirits from the beyond."

Mirei faltered, then spread her hands.

"You won't hurt me, Ryoko-san." She said with a smile. "You're not a very good liar...and I know you won't."

Ryoko glared at her for a moment, but didn't respond. Then she flickered and blurred out of view, and Mirei faded back into the mirror, a sense of satisfaction building up inside her as she made the short trip across the ship to the sleeping pirate's chamber. As she approached, she could hear the sound of low voices, and she smiled again.

"_Mirei_." She murmured softly, nodding her head decidedly. "That's who I am. And Sasami...she was my friend. And...and Ryoko is the reason...Ryoko is the strong one. She can help him, I know she can. And maybe then everything will make sense again...and I'll know all the things I can't remember!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"I need you to tell me what's going on."

Ryoko folded her arms, leaning up against the wall of the bed-chamber as she fixed her companion with a wary, suspicious glare. "I know something is, and I know you're not telling me everything. What in hell was tonight all about, anyway? I've slept with you. More than once. You never had nightmares then. Why now?"

"Nothing is going on." Hotsuma pulled himself into an upright position, returning her gaze with a defensive one of his own. "As you so charmingly put it. We're allies, Ryoko - at least, once I thought we were. Why would I hide something from you? I've nothing to gain by lying to you, have I?"

"I don't know." Ryoko pursed her lips. "But I think it's time I found out. Hotsuma, I saw the girl again. The ghost. The one in the picture - that I saw in the mirror."

"Didn't I already tell you about her?"

"Yes, but I think you lied to me." Ryoko said firmly, sitting down on the end of his bed. "And you know that you did, so how about you forget the fiction and give me the real story, huh? You always did think that you knew best, when it came to filling me in on all the information. I'm not a sissy, girly girl. You know that. I can take it - I'm not scared of ghosts, even if you are. And I'm not scared of her. I just want to know what's going on."

Hotsuma eyed her wearily, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't know who she is." He said softly. "That's the truth, Ryoko. I don't know. But...she is here. And I did lie to you about that. I thought you might leave Nagatabi if you knew, so yes, I lied. But I'm a pirate - and pirates never do tell the whole truth, do they?"

"They do to those they bond with, or they should." Ryoko sighed. "All right. So you admit she's here, then, and I'm not mad or seeing things or suffering from some kind of delayed concussion?"

"I already said so...you don't have to pound it in."

"I just wanted to be clear." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Why are you so scared of her? I mean, she's dead, right? What can she do except flit around the place and shout 'boo' when you're not expecting it?"

"You never were superstitious enough for your own good." Hotsuma said darkly. Ryoko raised an eyebrow.

"And I thought you believed ghost stories were nonsense, too." She remarked. "Did you lie about that, too?"

"No." Hotsuma sighed. "No, I didn't. Ryoko, I'm barely awake here. Will you at least give me a chance to settle my thoughts before you give me the third degree? It's been a long time since we last flew together. Things change and so do people. Is that so very strange?"

"I think it is, yes."

"And you haven't changed?" Hotsuma raised an eyebrow. "Even though you talk about love and you cry over a dead man and you say by your own admission that you haven't flown in space so much recently?"

"That's different!"

"Why?" Hotsuma demanded. "Why is it all right for you to change and not for me? I didn't choose to fly aboard a haunted ship, you know. But without Gai'En, my options were limited. This was it, so I dealt with it. And when you live with a ghost, you really have no choice but to believe in her. Especially since it's her who causes me to dream. You say she can't do anything but she can, Ryoko. She's out to get me because I stole her ship, and she won't let it rest."

"You didn't raid it, did you?" Ryoko asked softly. "You heisted it from Sargasso."

"I did no such thing!" Hotsuma exclaimed, indignation in his eyes. "I have some limits, Ryoko! Not even the worst pirate would steal a dead ship from Sargasso! I raided it...I took it fair and square."

Ryoko frowned, shaking her head.

"The Nagatabi was in Sargasso." She said softly. "I know, because I saw her there, once before. And she was dead then, Hotsuma. Dusty and neglected and worn with age. This hardly looks like the same ship, you've done so much to change it. But it is the same vessel, I can see it now. Just little things, they remind me. You're still lying to me, pirate boy. And I don't like it. I never did like it, when you were like this."

She sent him a reproachful look, blurring and flickering out of view and Hotsuma found himself once more alone in the darkened chamber. He muttered a curse, tossing back his bedcovers as he got to his feet. The sight of the girl's face in the glass did nothing to cheer his mood, and he grabbed his pillow, tossing it with vicious force towards her. It thudded against the thick crystal, sliding to the floor, and the reproach in Mirei's ghostly eyes was too much for him to bear. With a yell of anger, he reached for the bedside chair, hoisting it above his head and clattering it against the mirror again and again until it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Then, breathing heavily, he dropped his weapon to the floor, sinking down onto the end of the bed and burying his head in his hands as he fought to regain his composure. Whispers of his dream still teased at him, and he gritted his teeth.

"You're not going to make me leave this ship!" He exclaimed. "I don't care what you do to me, I'm not going anywhere! You're dead. You can't own anything! This ship is mine now, do you hear me? Nagatabi is mine!"

There was no answer, but a cold wind whipped around the chamber and Hotsuma knew he had had enough. Getting abruptly to his feet, he left the bedroom, heading up the stairway towards the drive room and pushing open the door.

Ryoko was already there, and consternation touched his expression as he registered the look in her eyes.

"Are you following me, or is this a magic coincidence of timing?" She asked archly. Hotsuma scowled at her.

"I own this ship. You're the passenger. If you don't like it, I'm not blocking you from leaving." He said darkly. "Sometimes a captain has to actually fly his ship, you know, instead of leaving it all to the autopilot. And since you've woken me up and I'm not going to sleep again tonight, I might as well check our progress."

"I already did." Ryoko's tones were dangerously low. "We haven't made any."

"What are you talking about now?" Hotsuma snapped. "Of course we have."

"According to Nagatabi's radar, we're not even in Balta space." Ryoko continued. "In fact, it seems to be pretty much steady. In Sargasso."

"You have a fixation with Sargasso!" Hotsuma exclaimed. "What is your problem, Ryoko? Do you see dead ships surrounding us every way we turn?"

"No, I don't, but..."

"But the damn radar might have been jammed by the electrical energy inside that sector, did you think of that?" Hotsuma cut across her, pushing past her as he glanced down at the screen for himself. "It's not built for delving into ghost space, but I took the risk to rescue you and you're not very grateful that I did! It would be nice if you'd stop questioning everything I do or say and just have a little faith that I know what I'm doing! I don't like Shank any more than you do. I'm all for killing him and I'm very much on your side. But I can't deal with your paranoia and your persecution complex all over again. You think everyone is out to get you, and you always have to be in control! You were wrong, Ryoko - you haven't changed. Not as much as you think."

Ryoko stared at him at this hot-tempered speech, for a moment struck silent by the bitterness in his tone. Then, at length, she brushed her hand against the radar.

"I didn't think of that." She admitted unwillingly. "That the ship might have been hurt by it's trip to Sargasso. Ryo Ohki is...wasn't affected, so it didn't occur..."

She faltered, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She added reluctantly. "I've been creeped out tonight once too many times and you're right. You have nothing to gain by lying to me, and I guess I understand why you didn't tell me about Mirei."

"How do you know her name?" Hotsuma looked startled. Ryoko shrugged.

"She told me." She said simply. "We had a chat this evening. It was actually her who told me you were having bad dreams. She wanted me to help you, Hotsuma. I don't think she does mean you harm. I think she's just the ghost of some kid who got trapped here somehow when her ship was abandoned. Maybe she's looking for someone to play with. After all, it was the Nagatabi that Sasami went exploring, when we were travelling to Jurai. And it was Sasami who was in the picture I found, down in the salon. Perhaps Mirei just wants a friend. And the more freaked out you get about her being here, the more freaked out she gets, too."

Hotsuma was silent for a moment, then,

"Do you think that's true?" He asked doubtfully. Ryoko shrugged.

"Well, why would she want to hurt you?" She asked sensibly. "You said you didn't know her. And you weren't lying to me about that, were you, Hotsuma?"

"I wasn't lying about it." Hotsuma shook his head. "I know her name because she tells me it, in my dreams. But I don't know if it's her real name or if it's just imagination. I swear, Ryoko. I'm telling you the truth. That's all I know. She's been here since I have, and that's the whole story. And I didn't take Nagatabi from Sargasso, either. I wouldn't do that. When you saw it must have been before the Daluma got a hold of it. I am pretty damn sure I wrested it away from Tarant Shank and his ingrates, so they must have been the ones who stole it from Sargasso. You did say that they didn't seem afraid to venture in there."

"That's true." Ryoko acknowledged.. "All right. I believe you."

She sighed, casting a glance at the radar.

"So do you have any idea where we are?"

"I've been working on navigating by stars." Hotsuma admitted. "I know this stretch so well, and you and I flew here so many times I could fly through it backwards. Just because we haven't tracked down Daidalos yet doesn't mean we won't. Have patience. We'll nail him."

"Can't you fix it?"

"Fix it?" Hotsuma stared at her, and Ryoko nodded.

"Yes. Fix it. You know, with tools and stuff?" She agreed. Hotsuma shrugged.

"Wouldn't have a clue how." He admitted.

"But you always told me you could fix anything and everything. You were a technological whiz when we flew together - it was one of the things that made our partnership so great." Ryoko's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why can't you fix a ship's radar? I would have thought you could do that in your sleep."

"Well, I can't." Hotsuma said bitterly.

"Okay, then can you radio the Balta for help? Because we're going to have all kinds of trouble once we get into less familiar space."

"Radio doesn't work either." Hotsuma shook his head. "Sargasso's pull is strong."

Ryoko rested her hands on his shoulders, confusion flickering in her amber eyes.

"Look at me, Hotsuma." She commanded, and despite himself, Hotsuma did as he was bidden.

"Do you remember the raid we pulled on the Bank of Jurai, in Concor's orbit?" Ryoko asked softly. Hotsuma nodded slowly.

"Yes. I think so. We made off with a fortune, but you blew half of it on alcohol and I gambled the rest at the planet's casinos." He agreed, a rueful smile touching his lips. "What about it?"

"How did we get into that bank, Hotsuma?"

"I don't know." Hotsuma frowned. "It was a long time ago. Probably we fabricated some trick to get in. You might have phased us through. I don't know. I tend to focus more on the result than the methodology."

"You rigged their security system onto a loop and they spent the entire night chasing their shadows, locked in the bank's basement." Ryoko said quietly. "It took you all of two minutes, and you weren't even trying. Hotsuma, what's happened to you? When we flew together before, you'd be able to fix those things pretty much by clicking your fingers. Why can't you do it now? Surely that's not something you forget?"

Hotsuma stared at her for a moment, a chill touching his spine at her words.

"I don't know." He admitted at length. "I don't remember how. That's all."

"But why not?"

"If I knew that, I'd tell you." Hotsuma pushed her away, sinking down in the pilot's chair. "Look, Ryoko. It hasn't all been fun and games for everyone since the last time we flew together. There are a lot of things that are patchy in my mind these days - and that's the truth. When I lost Gai'En...well, I don't remember the details, which frustrates me more than I can say. But I think that there was...something. Something that affected my memory - my thinking. I lost a whole lot of things and there are moments that are still hazy, even now. Too much alcohol never did help my recall, so that probably made it worse. I'm not perfect. No pirate is. Just deal with it, and move on - I have."

"But you can remember the stars." Ryoko pressed her hands to the glass, staring out across the bleak expanse of blackness.

A crooked smile touched Hotsuma's lips.

"Because I can remember you." He agreed. "And you and I spent a lot of time watching stars, in between raiding the planets we found on the way. I remember the things that matter, Ryoko-chan. The other stuff I can live without. It doesn't matter, anyhow. The past is irrelevant - unwanted baggage that weighs you down. I only care about the future. And, of course, the now."

"Then why so much focus on me, then?" Ryoko asked acidly. "I'm your past, too. Why not just leave me to die?"

"You know that's not something I'd do, princess." Hotsuma shook his head. "You're just too valuable a pirate to toss out with the rest of the space trash."

Ryoko frowned.

"But I don't want to be a pirate, now." She said pensively. "Sometimes I don't even want to kill Shank. It's so much bother. I hate him so much, but when I think of it, I wonder if Tenchi would ever forgive me if I shed blood in his name. It's so stupid, but it's like I can hear his voice, right there inside my head. He'd be telling me to walk away from it. But I can't. I'm stuck in the past and you have no past. We're making a wonderful pair so far."

"Tenchi _is_ the past." Hotsuma said frankly. "Let him go, and forget about him. He sounds a wimp and a coward, anyway, and you don't need someone like that holding you back and making you conform to rules and regulations. You and I aren't like them, Ryoko. We live outside the law. Not within it."

He grasped her hand loosely in his, and she eyed him sadly, shaking her head.

"I'm in love with him." She said softly. "I can't be your lover again, Hotsuma. It wasn't enough to bind us together before, and it can't be now, either. I love Tenchi. Even if he is dead."

"You have gone soft." Hotsuma grimaced. "Will you see sense? I don't want a lover. I want a partner - the partner I had before we both got hotheaded and angry and shot off into space in opposite directions. We made silly decisions, but we're the only ones still here, Ryoko. You and I. We've a chance to start over, to renew our bond and fly together into space. Shank deserves to die, and you know it as well as I do. Then it will be like old times. You've been foolish, that's all - there's nothing you lack that space can't provide. You told me enough times that all you needed was space and stars."

"And Ryo Ohki." Ryoko said regretfully. Hotsuma looked grave.

"Yes." He acknowledged. "I am sorry about her loss, Ryoko. She was a fine, brave ship, and she will be missed."

"She will." Ryoko bit her lip. "Without her I feel isolated. Lonely. I can't even explain - but she's been here, with me, my whole life...or more or less. That she isn't there now is wrong. Even then, when I was a pirate, I always had her to retreat to when things were bad. I never thought she'd leave me. I never imagined I'd be so completely alone."

"Then you should consider what I'm offering you." Hotsuma hesitated, then slid his hand into his belt, pulling out his knife and setting it down on the top of the control panel. Ryoko stared at it in surprise and consternation, and he nudged the hilt towards her, sending her a smile.

"Your scar might have healed, but we can always create a new one." He murmured. "Your blood, my blood, mixed like the last time. You have nothing to go back to, Ryoko, so don't go back. Look forward. It's the only way you can go, after all. And if you stay here, with me, aboard Nagatabi...you won't be alone. Not ever. I promise you that - we'll be partners and this time we won't fall out over petty differences of opinion."

Slowly Ryoko picked up the knife, running a hesitant finger along the side of the glinting blade. For a moment, nothing moved, then the pirate sighed, shaking her head.

"I can't." She admitted, pushing the weapon back towards him. "Not yet, anyway. I'm sorry, Hotsuma. But I'm not ready. Maybe when I've closure...when I've vengeance for Tenchi and my family, then perhaps...it will be different. But for now, I need to...to settle that. To find Shank and...and end this. Somehow. I need to make someone pay."

Hotsuma sighed, but nodded, retrieving his knife and returning it to his belt.

"All right." He said quietly. "Then we'll find Shank. And after we've dealt with him, we'll discuss it again. I think a good, bloody pirate battle is just what you need to make you remember exactly who you truly are."

-----------------

"Washu-san, you've been in here all night."

Yume pushed open the door of the laboratory, concern flickering in her big lilac eyes as she surveyed her tired mentor's expression. "You need to take a break - I can carry on with whatever it is you're doing, and you can't carry on indefinitely without eating or sleeping, you know."

"There was a time I could." Washu said regretfully, getting to her feet and stretching as she stifled a yawn. "Whaddya know? Maybe I'm finally getting old, Yume. But I didn't realise what time it was. Is it really morning already?"

"It's half past eight." Yume nodded her head. "Noboyuki-san has left for work already, and Tenchi's gone to Osaka through your doorway - under protest, but he did go. I don't know where Nagi is - she's hard to keep track of - but Ryo Ohki and Ken Ohki are cuddled up together on Ryoko's bed, so I guess she's around somewhere. I made breakfast an hour ago. Are you hungry? Because if you are..."

"No, I'm not hungry." Washu shook her head. "Actually, I'm feeling a little more pleased with myself than I was last night. Come over here, Yume-chan. I think our expedition into space has helped - I've picked up Ryoko's frequency. At least, I'm ninety nine percent sure it's Ryoko, and not some illegal radio wave that's jamming up my servers."

"Tenchi said that you thought she'd been kidnapped by ghosts." Yume settled herself obediently beside the computer unit, gazing briefly at the silent patient, and then across at Washu's screen. "Is that true?"

"Well, it's the layman's explanation of what's happened to her." Washu said ruefully. "Ryoko's projecting astrally, right?"

"Right, so?"

"Best guess scenario - the accident heppened in Sargasso." Washu pressed a few buttons, pausing to smile at her companion. "Sargasso is legendary for the odd effects it has on most of the ships that fly there. Some stories say once you enter, you never escape - although that's pure nonsense, of course. Yagami made it out unscathed, Ryo Ohki and Ken Ohki are both able to fly through it without damaging important engine componants, and the Galaxy Police use the fringes of that space a lot for their own ends. But it creates enough of a mystique to be worth investigation. No smoke without fire, and all of that."

"I follow." Comprehension flitted into Yume's eyes. "So the force of the blast from that pirate ship coupled with her own magic put her into shock, and split her mind and body apart. Is that what you're saying? And because it was this Sargasso, where the normal rules of physics don't seem to apply, it's managed to keep part of her there even though she's right here with us, on the Earth?"

"Well, it's a well known fact that the mind - not even the mind of a genius like me - can't be in more than one place at a time." Washu agreed grimly. "Ryoko's mind - such as it is - isn't here, that's for sure. So it stands to reason that it's somewhere else. As you said, Sargasso's rules aren't quite like any other space zone. Nagi told us a story about a ship that was looted and a pirate that was killed. He was an old friend of Ryoko's...somehow I think he's the one holding her in her spectral limbo."

"Nagi told me about him, too." Yume looked grave. "Your theory makes sense to me, Washu-san. But can we bring her back?"

"Well, that's where my being pleased with myself wears off, and I start being frustrated all over again." Washu grimaced, keying in another set of commands as a box flashed up onto the screen. "I've nailed what I think is her frequency. If I tweak it a little, I might even be able to get a sense of her thoughts and feelings. Perhaps even a picture. But in terms of retrieving her...that's where I'm not so sure. The whole thing falls down at that point. I'm not Kii enough to project myself after her, not now."

"I thought you told me that your magic had begun to return?" Yume looked surprised. "Were you wrong?"

"No. Traces of it are still there." Washu shook her head. "The traces I inherited direct from father, as opposed to from Kihaku itself. I didn't bond with it, you see, but I still had the Hakubi magic. Now the World is gone, so is my power."

Yume's eyes narrowed.

"But that's illogical." She objected. "Destroying Kihaku was supposed to kill you, too. Thanks to Tsunami-kami-sama, you survived, but your magic was spent. However, you never did bond with your planet. So why should destroying it have had such a final impact on your magical ability? Surely you inherited all of it from your father, and not from the World at all? In which case, surely it must all be there still? Somewhere? Unless Kihaku's existance magnified your magic, I don't see any other explanation. And since you never went to Kihaku, except to stop Tokimi..."

She shrugged.

"You tell me the logic, Washu-sensei. I don't see it myself."

Washu sighed.

"Well, your reasoning makes sense, with one profound flaw." She said sadly. "It isn't still there. Not how it was, anyway. I think the Hakubi tribe were far too deeply tied to the planet to be able to hold much power and influence away from it. I never really used my magics, or studied them beyond what I needed, so I don't know what the limits really were. All I do know is that they're less now than they were before Kihaku exploded. If Sasami's divine power hadn't intervened, I would have died when Kihaku did. So my strength and the planet's strength were connected. Somehow. And now it's gone, so is the bulk of my magical potential."

"Maybe." Yume eyed her companion keenly. "I'm still not convinced. It seems just as possible that you were badly hurt by the explosion, and that you're just beginning now to recover your physical strength fully. Don't you think so? You've always neglected your magic, so in some ways you prefer that it isn't there. But because you're so used to ignoring it, you can't wake it at will any more. It draws on _your_ strength now, not the planet's - and you've never used your own will to raise it. You've always asserted that it was Kihaku's magic. But what if it isn't? Perhaps it's _your_ magic, inherited in the bloodline of your family, and you just can't find it inside of yourself."

"Either way, it doesn't matter." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have enough of it to astrally project across the room, let alone across ghost-infested space. That's not an option, Yume. But equally, we can't physically go in and grab her. There's essentially nothing to grab and whether she'd even see us is uncertain. So I have to come up with a plan B. This pirate spirit has a hold on her - a blood bond. That's a strong thing in pirate circles. We need to counteract it. Somehow. And that's where I'm stuck."

"Then take a break and rest." Yume suggested. Washu frowned, shaking her head.

"I can't risk it." She admitted. "Don't tell Tenchi this, Yume, but Ryoko stopped breathing last night. Only for the briefest of moments," As Yume stared at her companion in horror. "And I stabilised her again pretty quickly. But she is growing weaker. Her vital signs are fading, her pulse has erratic moments, her breathing is getting more and more shallow. We don't have time for me to take a break. I have to resolve this now - as soon as possible. Before it's too late for us to bring her back."

"I see." Yume bit her lip. "Then I'll stay and help you...two heads are better than one."

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a dog-eared sheet of paper which she handed to her companion.

"Nagi gave me this. It was in Ken Ohki's databanks." She said quietly. "It's the rap sheet for the pirate - the one who you think has Ryoko. Hotsuma. A former Balta. She is listed among his accomplices."

"And _there_ is the crime aboard the Nagatabi." Washu took the sheet, skimming over the contents. "You know, for someone who doesn't want to get involved and who really doesn't care about Ryoko, Nagi sure is being helpful."

Yume smiled.

"Tenchi says her motives are hard to read but she often comes through when she's needed." She remembered. "She's a strange person, Washu. But I think she does want us to help Ryoko. She says they're not friends and that she's here because of Ken Ohki and because she thinks you can help her strengthen her ship against Shank. I know I'm still new at reading people, but I think she'd be sad if Ryoko died. I think she sort of likes her."

"Yes, me too." Washu acknowledged. "Only it's probably better not to express that particular opinion near Nagi. There's a fine line between friendship and animosity and those two have weaved across it more times than history can count. I think Nagi would still like to think she's Ryoko's nemesis, and that if anyone's going to take her out, it'll be her. Not that I'm sure if she'd do it, these days...there's no reward for killing someone who's been fully pardoned. But I think deep down she'd still like to challenge Ryoko to that no holds barred battle. The last time they scrapped, Ryoko won. I don't think Nagi's forgotten it yet."

"Can you help Ken Ohki against Shank?"

"Yes...once we've resolved the Ryoko problem, I'll keep my word." Washu nodded. "Remember, Yume, I designed the cabbit ship. Ken Ohki isn't as flexible as Ryo Ohki but he does have a stronger outer shell. It shouldn't be too much work. In fact, I was going to begin last night. Then Ryoko almost went down and I got distracted onto other things."

"That makes sense." Yume's gaze flitted to the sleeping pirate. "Then what can I do?"

"Right now, you can see what you make of those figures." Washu tapped the screen. "I'm going to go clutch at a few straws. Something has just occured to me."

"Something?" Yume looked startled. "What kind of straws?"

"I'm going to ask Lord Katsuhito about his Jurai power." Washu said grimly. "I might not have enough magic to go and pull Ryoko back, but I'm not sure whether astral projection is a Juraian magical trait as well as a Kii one. Whilst I'm sure that Tsunami could probably do it, we don't have Tsunami and by the time we'd flown poor Ken Ohki to Jurai and back to get Sasami, it might be too late for Ryoko. But what you said about my magic and being seperate from Kihaku set my cogs working. If anyone understands Jurai's power, it'll be Lord Katsuhito. And if he knows about it, then there's just a chance he knows how to do it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"I understand the question you are asking me, Washu-san. But I'm afraid that the answer might not be a satisfactory one."

The priest settled himself on the steps of his shrine, meeting the scientist's anxious gaze with a regretful one of his own. "Jurai's power takes many forms, that is true. And it is probably the greatest power in all the universe - certainly there's been nothing yet to match the might of Tsunami. But never, in all my years as a Prince of that world or here on the Earth have I learnt anything about astral projection."

"I had to try." Washu sighed, dropping down onto the cold stone beside him. "Katsuhito-dono, I'm running out of options. We don't have time to try and bring Sasami into this - not with Ryoko getting weaker, and since you understand the power so well, I hoped..."

She shrugged, glancing at her hands.

"Well, Ryoko can do it." She said at length. "We're seeing ample proof of that. I hoped she'd inherited it from Kagato, but it seems she really did inherit it from me."

"It would seem so." Katsuhito inclined his head slightly. There was a moment of silence, then, "Do you think she will die, Washu-san?"

"I'm doing what I can to keep her stable, but without the activity of the mind the body begins to break down." Washu bit her lip, tasting blood on her tongue. "It's almost a living death - a limbo. Her body won't be able to maintain the separation for much longer. Hence why I came to see you."

"Yes, I understand." Katsuhito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It is true, you know, that Kagato had magics not generally associated with Jurai's power."

"I know." Washu nodded. "And I heard the rumours too, after he died, that he was Aiko's bastard son, and not a legitimate prince of Jurai. Is that your contention also?"

Katsuhito did not answer to begin with. Then he spread his hands.

"I have often wondered." He admitted. "Whether he drew his dark magic from other sources than Jurai. In which case, anything Ryoko did inherit is likely to have been tainted Jurai power, not true at all. I'm sorry, Washu. Even if Kagato could project himself astrally - and I have no idea whether he could - it's not a Juraian magic. Not one Tsunami blessed her royal line with, anyway."

"Then we've hit another dead end." Washu ran her hands through her hair. "Damn this...it's starting to drive me crazy. Why does she have to get herself pulled into these insane, suicidal situations, anyway? If she just thought a little more and acted up a little less..."

She faltered, and Katsuhito smiled, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Children grow up and fly the nest. They make their own choices and decisions and we just have to learn to accept them. Even when they seem wrong." He said softly.

Washu looked startled, then she returned the smile ruefully.

"I'm becoming a neurotic." She admitted. "It's silly, really. I never bothered about Ryoko for the longest time. It shouldn't matter to me whether she lives or dies. I mean, she was designed for a purpose. And that experiment is over. Kagato is dead."

"Ah, but life is another experiment entirely." Katsuhito said wisely. Washu eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. Then she nodded.

"And so is having a family." She replied. "Forgive me, Katsuhito. I've had no sleep and it takes its toll on me worse than it used to."

"You don't need to apologise." Katsuhito assured her. "I just wish I could be more helpful."

"So do I." Washu owned. "Ryoko might be a holy terror and I might wake up most mornings of the week wanting to throttle the life out of her for one reason or another. But we are connected, all the same. That's why I'm so angry with myself. If I still had my Kii magic in any quantity, I could go in there and get her back. Even a bond as odd as ours must be strong enough to get through."

"They do say there's no bond stronger than that between mother and child." Katsuhito observed philosophically. "Perhaps there is another bond of Ryoko's you could consider, however."

"Such as?"

"Tenchi and Ryoko are very close these days."

"Yes, I know." Washu frowned. "But Tenchi's grasp of his magic is basic, even if he is powerful. Katsuhito, it's like throwing a baby into a river and hoping he'll learn to swim. The chances are he won't, and I don't want to put his life in danger because he doesn't understand the situation fully."

"Well, I think it seems a bit late to protect him, don't you?" Katsuhito's eyes twinkled behind his glasses. "The boy has fought Kagato twice, and defeated him on both occasions. He's survived encounters with mad Priestesses and dangerous tribal magic. And he is blessed with more of Tsunami's power than I or any other Juraian Prince."

"And their connection is strong enough?" Washu looked doubtful. "It's not a blood bond."

"Ah." Katsuhito smiled. "But not all bonds need to be made in blood, Washu-san. I've witnessed the strength of that connection already. You see, when Seiryo Tennan came to the Earth and took Tenchi captive, Ryoko knew that he was in danger. Even though she was here at the shrine with me, she knew."

"_Really_?" Washu's eyes narrowed. "Are you suggesting that Ryoko and Tenchi have forged some kind of...telepathic bond?"

"Ryoko has telepathic inclinations, and so, fundamentally, does Tsunami. Would it be so strange?"

"I suppose not." Washu acknowledged. "I guess I did realise there was a bond between them that surpassed ordinary affection. But...Tenchi is still so blind to his magic. He's scraped through difficult situations before, true, and he doesn't lack for courage or commitment. But he's never projected astrally, either. The chances are he doesn't have the magic, if you don't - Tsunami may have given him Light Hawk Wings but that doesn't mean she gave him everything. I'd need to compensate..."

She faltered, then shook her head.

"It's too dangerous." She said with a sigh. "I need to find another way."

"Surely that's up to me?"

A fresh voice interrupted the conversation and Washu turned, surprise glittering in her green eyes as she registered the subject of their conversation. Tenchi stood beneath the shrine gateway, his college bag tossed down against the wooden support as his gaze flitted between the scientist and his grandfather.

"Tell me what it is and let me decide if it's too dangerous."

"What are you doing back so soon?" Washu recovered herself, eying him reproachfully. "You had class this morning. Yume said you'd left."

"I did, it was cancelled, I came back." Tenchi said stiffly. "My tutor took sick. I'm not skipping class, so you can relax, Washu."

"It seems prophetic, you arriving back right as we're discussing you." Katsuhito seemed unperturbed by his grandson's sudden appearance. "Washu and I were discussing options - she wanted to know if there was anything in Jurai's power which permitted astral projection."

"So that someone can go and get her back?" Tenchi demanded. Washu sighed, nodding her head.

"I hoped your grandfather would be able to do it, with his experience. But it doesn't seem to be a true Juraian trait." She said wearily. "I can't do it. My own magic isn't strong enough to do anything much any more, or I would."

"Which leaves me?" Tenchi frowned, leaning up against the gateway as he considered her words. "And you don't want me to go, because you think I'm still some kind of child who needs protecting?"

"No, I think you're as crazy as my daughter and you'll rush into something blind without even considering the potential consequences." Washu said cuttingly. "You and I both know that when it comes to your own safety, the pair of you are ridiculously rash."

"Washu, I want to help Ryoko." Tenchi said flatly. "You know she'd help me, if it was the other way around. Heck, she did help me, when Haruna had me in her world. If there's something I can do, I want to do it. Even if it is dangerous - it has to be better than sitting around here doing nothing."

Washu looked troubled.

"I don't think you understand." She said softly. "Tenchi, Ryoko is effectively dead. I mean, she still breathes, but her spirit is roaming free in space, trapped in this spectral world created by Hotsuma aboard the Nagatabi. I've narrowed it down to that ship, as we suspected, and I've picked up her frequency in among other ionic readings. But to get her back, you can't just jump aboard the ship and demand to see her. It's not that simple. You'd need to go in on her terms."

"Meaning?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. "Just tell me, Washu. We're wasting time, because no matter what you say, I'm not going to be talked out of it."

Washu's lips thinned.

"It would be a long shot, and we'd have to go back to Sargasso." She said slowly. "More importantly, though, if you were to have any chance of reaching her, I'd have to take a big risk with your life. Even supposing that your bond with Ryoko is strong enough for you to find her, and your divine magic is focused enough to keep you together, there'd still be a chance - a good chance - that you might die. You don't know how to will yourself out of your body, so we'd have to use more desperate measures. In order to even give you a shot of reaching her, I'd have to stop your heart for a brief moment. You'd have to, essentially, die...and hope I could pull you back to life in time. The risks of both you and Ryoko being trapped in this ethereal world are pretty high. At worst, well, there's always the chance I wouldn't be able to restart your heart again. Tenchi, you could very possibly stay dead."

Tenchi pursed his lips, and for a moment there was silence. Then he raised his gaze to hers, determination blazing in their depths.

"All right." He said softly. "So when do we go?"

----------

"You're very quiet this evening."

Ryoko glanced up from her perch atop the fuel unit, casting her companion a faint smile as he strode towards her, casting her a grin. "Hiding away down here - what do you think I'm going to do to you, Ryoko-chan? Why are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding. I'm just thinking." Ryoko said with a shrug, and Hotsuma raised an eyebrow.

"That's something I've never had to accuse you of doing before." He teased. "Thinking only slows you down, Ryoko. Besides, I wish you wouldn't keep flitting off all over the ship. I've something to tell you. I thought I saw the Daidalos, crossing our space zone. It looked a bit beaten about - actually, more so than I've seen it in a long time. But I think it was Shank's ship anyway. I've set a course to follow. We might yet see a showdown before too long, once he knows we're on his case."

"Daidalos? Really?" Ryoko looked startled. "That's good news. I was beginning to wonder how a ship as damaged as Shank's must've been has eluded us so easily. Nagatabi might have some problems of her own, but she's at least flying - right? Surely he can't be that difficult to track down."

"Well, he's pushing his luck on all sides." Hotsuma held out a hand to her, and she took it, drawing a sharp breath as he blurred them both out of the engine room and back up to the drive room of the ship. "There. That's better. Now we can see what's going on."

"I don't like it when you do that." Ryoko pulled her hand away, sending him a warning glare. "You could have warned me. I don't like teleporting unless I'm the one controlling it. You know that."

"I know, but it was still the quickest route." Hotsuma shrugged unrepentantly. "And you shouldn't mind it so much, Ryoko. You're in danger of being controlling again - your molecules are used to splitting apart, after all. It's not so very different."

"It is." Ryoko rubbed her arms protectively. "Controlling or not, I like to keep in charge of my own atoms, thank you very much."

She crossed the drive room, staring out into space. "Which way did he go? If we don't have radar, how will we track him?"

"It's called intuition." Hotsuma smiled, tapping his nose. "We've been here before, Ryoko. Daluma ships, Balta space, not far from the police raiding line. I guess old habits die hard."

"You're right." Ryoko looked surprised. "We are close to a Galaxy Police patrol area. Very close, in fact - I can see the yellow space-markers. What is he playing at? Is he that arrogant that he's flaunting himself in front of their cameras, or is his ship so wrecked that he can't see to fly?"

"I think it's more likely he's trying to lead us into a trap." Hotsuma rubbed his chin. "He's no fool and Nagatabi isn't a small ship. Like I said, this whole situation has deja vu written all over it - last time the Daluma got frog-marched to Headquarters. Like as not it's a revenge mission of his own."

"How would he know? Nagatabi isn't a pirate ship."

"He knows. Remember, I got it from him and his stooges." Hotsuma said grimly. "He probably thinks he's already spoken for you - me on the other hand, he's still after catching. We were both involved when we led them into that police patrol. He won't have forgotten. He'll have known I'd give chase, so here we are."

He glanced at her.

"I know you want to nail him, so I'm asking you what you want to do." He added. "Me, I'd turn back and wait for a less blatant opportunity. I don't want to be incarcerated. But I know this means a lot to you. So you call it. What do you think?"

Ryoko glanced out into the bleak darkness. Then she frowned.

"I want Shank's head." She said darkly. "Follow him."

"All right." Hotsuma shrugged his shoulders. "Then that's what we'll do. Although if we meet any police patrols, you're doing the explaining. Nagatabi isn't as fast or as sleek as either Gai'En or Ryo Ohki. We might not be able to out-pace them."

"I'm not worried about the Galaxy Police." Ryoko said quietly. "I've done nothing to upset them, not yet. And even they might turn a blind eye if we kill Shank. He's been a wanted criminal for an long time...and there's bound to be bounty on his head. They're corrupt and desperate, half of them - they probably wouldn't even care."

"You're mad." Hotsuma stared at her. "What do you mean, done nothing? Have you forgotten about all the things we did - and the things you did with Haki? Raids, thefts, looting...destruction...blowing roofs off settlements just because you felt like it? Target practice at Juraian autopilot security bugs? All of those things? They'd lock us up soon as look at us!"

"Not me." Ryoko shrugged. "I'm not on their wanted list any more. They can't touch me. In fact, they might even help. If you had that damn radio working, of course."

She kicked at it bad-temperedly, and Hotsuma eyed her in some confusion.

"Why would you ever be off their wanted list?" He asked softly. "You're one of the most successful space pirates there has ever been. Even Shank hasn't matched up to your exploits - who in their right mind would choose to pardon you?"

"The Emperor of Jurai, actually." Ryoko said absently. Hotsuma's eyes almost fell out of his head.

"You what? You're lying to me! You hate Jurai! And there's just no way..."

"Azusa-sama is my Great Uncle." Ryoko told him quietly, meeting his incredulous gaze with a sober one of her own. "I'm not lying. Sure, it's an illegitimate connection, and I'm a million miles from ever being Princess Ryoko. But I'm descended from his blood all the same. When I helped rescue his niece from Haki, he arranged with the Galaxy Police that I should have a full and comprehensive pardon. I got my revenge on Haki, they gave me a clean slate. I don't think Azusa liked the idea of one of his blood being on the most wanted, if I'm honest. This way, it saves his family any further embarrassment from that particular branch of the royal tree."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine. Don't." Ryoko shrugged impatiently. "But it's true. I'm not being hunted by the Galaxy Police any more. It isn't me they'll clamp in irons if they catch us, Hotsuma - so you'd better be sure you can pilot this ship without a radio and a radar."

"That's so typical of you." Hotsuma's eyes gleamed angrily, and Ryoko shrugged, offering him a flippant smile.

"They wouldn't catch us, anyway." She said simply. "There are no ships here, Hotsuma. Not Daluma, not Galaxy Police. Nothing. If Shank was on this path, he's evaded us somehow. There's nothing up ahead but empty space. He's gone."

"It isn't my fault the ship is broken, Ryoko. I'm doing the best I can."

"I know." Ryoko relented, dropping down into an empty seat with a sigh. "It's frustrating, that's all. And if we could use the radio, I could call Kiyone or Mihoshi...well, Kiyone, anyhow. She could scan Yagami's files and tell me where Daidalos was last sighted. Even help reel him in. She might never have bested me, but she's a pretty damn fine detective. And I trust her character. She would turn a blind eye to you, if we could get her involved."

"Stop it." Hotsuma held up his hands. "Maybe you did take a harder blow from that laser than you thought. Ryoko, you're talking deranged. You sound out of your head - you should hear yourself! Talking about detectives and pardons and blood links to the Juraian royal family! Maybe you're sicker than I thought you were...maybe I shouldn't have let you stomp around Nagatabi as much as you have been!"

"Like you'd be able to stop me." Ryoko snorted. "I'm not delusional, Hotsuma. Things have changed, that's all. Detective or not, Kiyone Makibi is one of the truest friends I have in this universe. And she's come through on my behalf a few times, if I'm honest. Even when I was a pirate and it was against her position to help me. Not all cops are out for a quick resume hit. And as for Jurai, well, that's true also. My father was Kagato, the bastard who tried to take over the planet and rule it in his name. I didn't know about it, when we flew together. But Haki did. That's why he chose me in the first place...a little girl with no home or connections. He knew I had Jurai blood, somehow, and he kept me to use me in his schemes. He had great plans for Jurai's magic. He just overreached himself. That's how I found all of this out. Haki's greed. It might seem implausible, but it's true all the same."

"I guess I can sooner believe you were spawned by some despotic mad-man than a respectable prince of Jurai." Hotsuma eyed her critically.

"Thanks." Ryoko scowled at him. "You really know how to make a girl feel special, you know that?"

"Chance would be a fine thing - you don't let me near you."

"Do you think that would be a good idea, for either one of us?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "You only want me because you're like all other pirate men - you don't like being too long without female company. And I'm still Tenchi's. It would be betraying him. I know how you think and you work, Hotsuma, and I trust you more than I trust most pirate men. I know you won't force yourself on me, the way that others have tried to, in the past. You have some honour and you know better than most fools how much pain I can cause you if you were to try it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go back to how things were, once upon a time. We played then. This isn't a game, now. I want Shank and revenge. I don't want anything else. And I don't want anything from you. Not at the moment. Maybe not ever. Not even partnership and certainly not love."

"I thought I already told you that I didn't want a lover." Hotsuma said stiffly, and Ryoko frowned.

"Yes, but you see, I do." She said wistfully, melancholy touching her amber eyes. "Only he isn't here. And I can't do things the way I used to - carefree and without bothering about the implications and the consequences. I know what I want now - and I didn't know it then. I was still looking. It isn't you, Hotsuma, and it isn't this life. I'm not a pirate any more...and I can't live like a pirate, either. It just won't work."

"So what? You're going to go back to Earth when this is over?" Hotsuma raised an eyebrow. "Back to some backwards world where you have nobody, but you know every tree and lake and mountain like you know the back of your own hand? No ship, no travel prospects, nothing - what kind of life are you looking for, Ryoko? Whatever you thought you had, it's gone. You know that and you have to stop denying it to yourself. At least if you stayed with me, we'd have some fun. We'd travel. See places. Experience things."

"Mark time." Ryoko added absently. "That's all it is. Wasting as much time as possible between being born and dying, because we don't know what the hell else to do with ourselves."

"I wish you'd stop acting like this." Hotsuma rolled his eyes, and Ryoko could hear the frustration in his tones. "Listen to me, Ryoko. Blood and glory. Those are the only things a pirate truly cares about. You were never too hot on the blood side of things, but you always knew how to milk in the glory. Now it's like you've lost that as well. Tell me the truth - how much damage did Daidalos really do to you? Because you're acting like a dead girl walking, and I don't like it. I don't know this you - and it's frustrating me trying to find the real Ryoko in all of this self piteous wallowing."

"I'm not wallowing!" Ryoko reacted angrily, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm just trying to understand what's happening, that's all! And trying to make you understand. Although you never did understand, did you, Hotsuma? You humoured me when I had an idea, and sometimes you'd go along with it, if it suited you. But you never did try and understand me or the choices I wanted to make. It wouldn't work, don't you see that? You're selfish and so am I. Neither one of us will ever back down or learn to cooperate enough to make it work in the long run."

"We're not selfish. We're pirates. There's a difference." Hotsuma scolded. Ryoko sighed, shaking her head.

"Is there?" She asked flatly. "I don't know any more. I really don't."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

So, this was it.

Tenchi cast one last look at the Masaki shrine, a pensive expression in his brown eyes as he did so. Either he'd come back successful, he told himself fiercely, and bring Ryoko too, or he wouldn't come back at all. He clenched his fists, determination welling up inside of him as he contemplated the mission ahead. Strangely, despite the risks, he did not feel afraid. At least, he reasoned, this way he was doing something. Even if he failed, he could say he had tried.

He gazed down at his hands, running his index finger across his palm absently as he remembered their conversation outside the Royal Palace of Jurai, and the subsequent one with his father. Noboyuki had spoken then about creating bonds, he recalled, a wistful smile touching his lips. He had not spoken to Ryoko about it -he had not had a chance before she had been plunged into this world of ghosts, and somehow he found himself regretting it. The ring still sat in it's worn black box, hidden in a drawer among his socks, waiting to be retrieved. He swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry. He only hoped that the connection he and Ryoko already had was enough to break through the blood bond of a pirate - after all, there was no way to change what had already been.

"Well, I guess we'd better be moving, then." Washu's voice broke through his musings and he glanced at her, nodding his head.

"I'm ready when you are, Washu-san." He said quietly. "The sooner we go, the better Ryoko's chances are, right?"

"I hope so." Washu bit her lip. "You're sure you want to go through with this? I'd go myself, but someone needs to monitor the machines, and Yume has to stay here for Ryoko's sake."

"You already said your magic wasn't up to it, Washu. And I'm fine. So let's go already." Tenchi said impatiently.

"Tenchi?" Yume grabbed a hold of his hand, anxiety flickering in the depths of her lilac eyes and despite his urgency he faltered, offering her a smile.

"It will be fine, Yume. Have faith." He said softly. "I'll be all right and so will Ryoko. You'll see. It'll be fine."

"I hope so." Yume bit her lip, and Tenchi could see the tears she was holding back. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Tenchi-kun. You mean a lot to me...I don't want you to be...be gone."

"Well, I won't be." Tenchi squeezed her hand. "I'll be back and you take good care of Ryoko for me...that's the best thing you can do for both of us. All right?"

"All right." Yume's expression became one of resignation. "Good luck, Tenchi. I'll do my best for Ryoko, so you make sure you do come back safely."

"I will." Tenchi nodded. Then he glanced at Washu.

"Nagi will want to take off." He added. "We shouldn't keep her waiting."

Washu raised a hand to the hovering craft, grasping hold of Tenchi's wrist as a thin beam of light spread across the ground, illuminating them in it's flare. Within moments they were aboard the compact cabbit ship, Ken Ohki uttering an impatient yowl as they got their bearings. Nagi raised an eyebrow at them, but made no comment. Instead she ran her fingers over the controls.

"Well, you know where we're going, Ken Ohki." She said finally. "Let's not waste any time getting there."

"Thank you for helping us Nagi. Again." Tenchi said haltingly, and Nagi ran her eyes over him, a searching look in her expression. At length she smiled.

"I may have underestimated you, Tenchi Masaki." She said grudgingly. "I thought you had no spirit, but to walk into the unknown willing to die takes courage and dedication. Perhaps Ryoko has better sense than I thought she did...maybe you're the one who's been ruined."

Washu chuckled despite herself, and Tenchi managed a rueful grin.

"Ryoko and I have something of an unusual relationship." he said ironically. "This kind of thing is pretty much normal for us. It's not a good week if someone hasn't almost died trying to save existance."

Nagi looked amused.

"Well, Ryoko always did attract disaster. That's the pirate in her - or maybe it's the demon." She added as an afterthought, her gaze flitting to Washu. "Either way, it makes for an interesting life."

"Do you miss her? I mean, fighting her?" Tenchi corrected himself hurriedly, aware that the bounty hunter's demeanour could turn on a knife edge. "I know you had some pretty fearsome battles...before she came to the Earth. Do you ever miss that?"

"There is plenty of scum in the universe for me to mop up." Nagi's eyes glittered as she considered his question. "Although it's rare to find any who fought as hard as Ryoko, I'll grant you that. But I don't dwell on things, Prince of Jurai. I have other targets - lucrative, demanding hunts like the one for Tarant Shank. Ryoko may have turned over a new leaf, but most pirates never change. And I'll be waiting for them, to ensure they don't get the chance to, either."

She shrugged flippantly.

"I have a reputation, after all." She added softly.

"I'm guessing by the way you fly your ship that bounty hunting runs in your family, Nagi." Washu crouched down beside her scientific equipment, checking and double checking everything one more time. "I don't know how old you are, and I know appearances can be deceptive from my own experience. But I'm guessing that you couldn't have been that old when you first got into hunting pirates and space scum. Am I right?"

"You know what you're talking about. I'm impressed." Nagi inclined her head in a slight nod, her gaze flitting momentarily back to the expansive space outside the window, then back to the scientist. "My father and his father and his father before that were all in this line of work. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty occasionally, it's a good form of self-employment. My people aren't rich, Washu-san, and I'm not ashamed of having humble roots. I earn my keep by clearing the universe of it's worst - and I enjoy every moment of it. It's as you say - it's in my blood."

She smiled slightly.

"Although you'll notice that the task is normally handed down from father to son." She added. "I was the exception."

"Your father must have been proud of you." Tenchi suggested. "Following in his footsteps."

Nagi snorted.

"My father was a born chauvenist who couldn't rationalise the idea of passing his skills to a daughter." She said reflectively. "Until, of course, he realised that his daughter was more man than his son ever would be. He always treated me like a boy...it was the only way he could placate his conscience about training me to follow his path. And once I had Ken Ohki..."

She shrugged.

"My future was sealed."

"You have a brother?" Tenchi stared. Nagi smiled.

"This is hardly the time for family story swapping, but yes. I have a brother." She agreed. "You'll have to ask Ryoko about him, when all of this is over. She's made his acquaintance, once or twice."

"I didn't know." Tenchi's heart constricted for a moment, and he stared at the bounty hunter in consternation. "Is that why you went after Ryoko? Because she...knew...your brother?"

Nagi stared at him, and for one terrible moment Tenchi thought he'd gone too far. Nagi's hand hovered briefly over her whip, then she lowered it back to the controls, shaking her head as she offered him a droll smile.

"You misunderstand what I said." She responded softly. "Ryoko and Kazuki were acquainted. But not involved. And there is nothing personal in my reasoning for hunting Ryoko down. Money, pure and simple...that's the focus of my profession. You can't get emotionally involved. And I don't. Not ever. After all, it's hard to build up any kind of rapport with someone you're going to seal inside a casket and deposit with the Galaxy Police. They're my paycheque. Nothing more. Ryoko as much as the others."

"I see." Tenchi sighed, leaning against Ken Ohki's jagged frame as he stared out at the passing stars. "I guess there's a lot of things I don't understand about being a pirate or a bounty hunter. It's a whole world away from my world - my life on Earth."

He faltered, then cast Washu a questioning look.

"What if she doesn't want to come back?" He asked hesitantly. "I mean, what if she's realised she _wants_ to be a pirate? What then?"

"Tenchi, you're a fool if you think she doesn't want you." Washu snorted. "The girl has been obsessed like some crazed groupie since pretty much the time she first met you. The most tricky bit is going to be getting you in there without killing you once and for all. I doubt very much that you'll not be able to talk her round. I don't know what it is, this effect you have on women. But whatever it is, Ryoko's succumbed to it wholesale already. That part should pose you no trouble."

"I suppose." Tenchi looked pensive. "It's just...Nagi said that this Hotsuma person was..."

"She didn't tell you she had others, huh?" Nagi asked, amused. Tenchi shrugged.

"I guess I knew. I knew she'd lived and experienced and done things before we met." He said slowly. "But I didn't think about it. I mean...putting a name to them didn't seem..."

"Hotsuma is dead." Nagi said frankly. "I defy even Ryoko to have her way with a ghost."

"Nagi." Tenchi shot her a reproachful look. "It might be funny to you, but it isn't funny to me. Please. Don't tease me."

"We're almost at Sargasso." Washu observed at that moment. "Tenchi, you'd better come over here so I can strap you onto my pallet securely. I need to keep you as still as possible while you're doing this - and you'll have to trust me, because the stuff I'm going to pump into you is not very nice and highly toxic to Earthlings."

"Will it...hurt?" Tenchi asked. Washu shook her head.

"No. You'll just go to sleep." She replied. "I'm not that sadistic. But your life will literally be in my hands - do you trust me enough to keep you alive?"

"I trust you, Washu-chan." Tenchi offered her a faint smile. "And it's the only chance we have, so I'm game to give it a go."

He settled himself on the stark metal pallet, obediently holding still as Washu carefully marked points on his brow and wrists. Then, she paused, looking at him pensively.

"Would you be calling it harassment if I took off your shirt?" She asked plaintively. Tenchi stared, then smiled ruefully, obediently slipping off his upper clothing and dropping it down onto the floor of the ship.

"In the circumstances, I guess Ryoko would forgive me." Washu observed ironically, as she began attaching sensitive diodes to his skin. "Don't wriggle, okay? I know they're cold - but so is space, so you'll just have to deal with it. I need to have a constant report of your brain and cardiac activity throughout all of this. I don't know if I'll be able to forcibly pull you back - I suspect not, considering our failure with Ryoko, even though you know what you're going into."

"Washu, I have no idea what I'm going into." Tenchi said darkly. "A ghost ship and a world that could be literally anything."

"Well, you have some idea." Washu amended. "That being the case, you need to keep a strong hold on yourself and why you're there. I don't know if Ryoko has forgotten this world - the signals I was getting certainly don't indicate it either way. But she may need help to get back, and it might mean you have to deal with the thing standing in her way."

"You mean I have to kill a ghost?" Tenchi asked. Washu nodded.

"It might seem trite and cliche to you, but if I'm right and Hotsuma is what's keeping her aboard Nagatabi, then somehow you'll have to get rid of him." She replied.

"How am I meant to do that, exactly?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow. Washu spread her hands.

"However seems appropriate. Use whatever methods you can - talking, reasoning...whatever it takes." She said glibly. "Fighting might be hard - but I know you, Tenchi. You'd rather settle things amicably than fight over them as a rule. You'll manage it easily, I'm sure."

"I settle things amicably when people don't push my buttons." Tenchi muttered. "This guy's not top of my friends list at the moment, running off with my girlfriend's psyche and stopping her from coming back to where she belongs. I don't think I'm going to be talking to him in a friendly, calm way, Washu. I want him to leave her alone."

"Well, just be careful and see what you can see." Washu advised him. "We're entering Sargasso space now, Tenchi. Once we pull alongside the Nagatabi, I'll inject this into your vein and the rest is up to you. I only hope Tsunami's magic is powerful enough inside of you for this to work. I know you're strong - but I've never deliberately tried to kill you before. I have no idea what is going to happen."

"With which comforting admission, here we are." Nagi interjected sardonically at that moment, gesturing towards the white, rusting hull of the Nagatabi. "Try and be as quick as you can. Ken Ohki can fly here, but he doesn't like it. Spaceships don't like to be surrounded by skeletons any more than you want to be surrounded by ghosts...and he and I do have other pressing business to take care of, too."

"I'll be as quick as I can, for everyone's sake." Tenchi agreed. "But most of all, for Ryoko's."

He took a deep breath, then lay back against the pallet, closing his eyes.

"All right, Washu." He said softly. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

--------------

They had been fighting again.

Mirei drifted absently across the bridge of the Nagatabi, pausing to put ghostly hands to the glass as she gazed out at the stars. They seemed to change with every visit she made, and yet she knew that they weren't moving, and hadn't been for a long time, now. Memories and thoughts flitted and teased around her mind, as if trying to put together pieces of something she once knew, but try as she may she could not bring all of the fragments into cohesion.

Frustrated, she brought her hands together, sinking down through the ship's levels until she reached the bottom-most cargo bay. It was dark and eerie, empty of anything but dust and cobwebs, and the realisation of it surprised her. Gently she brushed a finger against the webs, watching as it broke beneath her touch.

So there was part of this ship that he hadn't touched, then. For some reason, though everything else had become his own, this deepest, darkest belly of the ship had been ignored. The idea buzzed in her mind for a moment, as she sought to puzzle it out. Spreading her hands, she illuminated the dark bay, powering long dead electric circuits into life as she surveyed the scene more closely.

It was a long room, almost a hallway, she realised, and one that had once been used to store supplies and equipment along the hard, metal sides. Now these storage bays were empty, but somewhere in the depths of her mind a fleeting memory of another time assailed her and she clung onto it, forcing it back through her mind as she fought to focus on the image.

"Once it was piled so high with boxes and crates." She murmured, touching the cold walls gently as she remembered. "And my doll was in the uppermost box, where I couldn't reach it. I came looking for it. I came..."

She faltered, shaking her head as the memory dispersed.

"I don't know." She admitted, frustration in her tone. "I can't remember. Why can't I remember? If this was my ship, shouldn't I at least know something?"

As she hovered there, trying to make sense of it all, she felt a prickle of energy teasing at the back of her mind, startling her to alertness as she realised she was no longer alone.

"Ryoko-san?" She murmured. "Is that you?"

There was no answer, but Mirei was more and more aware of a presence as it grew ever nearer. She frowned, shaking her head.

"I can't see you. Where are you?" She asked, suddenly afraid. "What are you - what do you want?"

This time there was a flicker of acknowledgement from the entity, as if it was reaching out in a gesture of peace. As she watched, a faint, transparent form began to take shape before her, and she found she could make out the hazy, indistinct outlines of a man. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gazed at him, disbelief in her expression.

"But..." She whispered. "You're the one that..."

She faltered, and the man's image flickered dangerously, on the verge of breaking up altogether. Realising he was in distress, Mirei forced her uncertainty out of her mind, drifting towards him and taking him firmly but gently by the hands as she gazed up into his confused brown eyes.

"Ryoko-san dreams about you." She murmured. "Have you come to life from them to claim her?"

"Are you...Mirei?" The man seemed uncertain, as he stared down at her, trying to place his surroundings. "What are you doing? How are you touching me? I thought you were dead."

"I am Mirei." The spectre agreed. "At least, I think so. It's been a long time - I don't really remember."

She clutched his hands more tightly.

"But I want to. And you're strong, like Ryoko-san is." She realised. "You help me focus my thoughts. But you shouldn't be here. You don't belong...you're trying to come somewhere you shouldn't be."

"I've come to help Ryoko, like you said." The man's image was becoming more and more clear with every passing moment, and as his voice gained stability and purpose, Mirei released her grasp. "I know who you are, Mirei-chan. I know that this was your ship and that you were hurt here, a long time ago. I'm sorry that happened to you - I really am. And I wish I could change it. But Mirei, Ryoko doesn't belong here. She's not...she isn't..."

"She isn't dead yet?" Mirei whispered. Tenchi nodded, surprised.

"You knew, then?" He asked. Mirei shook her head.

"Not until I touched your hands and felt your thoughts and memories." She said quietly. "She's hurt and she hovers, not alive and not dead. But I knew she was strong. Too strong. It wasn't right...I wanted to help her."

"You did?" Tenchi stared at her, and at the relief in his eyes, Mirei smiled.

"Of course I did." She agreed. "She's unhappy. The whole ship is full of unhappiness. Can't you feel it? It's everywhere. This ship is wrong. All of it. It's just wrong."

"I...I guess I hadn't..." Tenchi faltered, and Mirei shrugged.

"I don't remember a lot of things." She said slowly. "But I know that once this ship was a happy ship. Someone loved it very much. Someone I belonged with. I thought Ryoko might have the answers, because she knew the girl in the picture I have - the girl Sasami. But Sasami-chan visited me after I was already here - I know that now. Ryoko's memories have helped me make sense of it. I can't remember what happened before...and somehow I think I...I need to know. For my sake and for his."

"His?" Tenchi tensed, and Mirei nodded.

"Hotsuma-san." She agreed. "He's sad too. Have you come to help him also?"

"I've come to take Ryoko back to where she belongs." Tenchi said frankly. "If Hotsuma is keeping her here, then no, I'm not interested in helping him."

"He's sad too." Mirei said pensively. "So sad, Tenchi. And afraid of me. As if I'm a dark omen. I only want to help him. Help them both. But when I can't remember and nothing makes sense..."

She shrugged, frustrated.

"I wish I knew better what to do."

"Mirei-chan..." Tenchi hesitated, and Mirei smiled at him sadly.

"I know that I am dead." She said candidly. "Ryoko told me that I was, and I think she's right. I think he is dead, also. The pirate. He doesn't seem to remember things he should remember, like me. But Ryoko-san remembers. That's why she's so strong. She can still remember all the things that are important to her. Including you."

"She hasn't forgotten me?" Tenchi looked relieved, and Mirei shook her head.

"Like I said, she dreams about you." She replied softly. "Your name is Tenchi Masaki and you flew with her on a spaceship - a ship that lived. But she believes the ship destroyed and you and her family killed."

"Ryoko believes..._I'm_ dead?" Tenchi stared at her. "And Ryo Ohki? And everyone? Is that why she's not coming back? She doesn't believe she has anything to come back to?"

"Perhaps." Mirei looked helpless. "I don't know. She talks about vengeance...about hunting a pirate who she blames for your death. But Nagatabi never leaves this place, so she'll never find him that way. Tenchi-san, she spends so much time crying inside of herself, and he hides his fear and his uncertainty in anger and frustration. You have to understand - nobody chooses to be in this place."

"Maybe it's _not _just Hotsuma keeping her here, then." Tenchi frowned. "But Mirei-chan, someone I know told me that he was responsible for your death. That somehow he killed you and then was killed for it, aboard this ship. That's why you're both here - you and him - because you both died too suddenly. How can you have sympathy for a man who probably took your life away from you? It doesn't make sense. Why help him? I need you to help me - to help Ryoko. Won't you do that instead?"

Mirei sighed, sadness entering her brown eyes.

"I don't think it's so simple." She said softly. "And to help Ryoko, you may have to help Hotsuma, also. They're connected. Bonded. I'm not sure how, but I know that they are. He was never here before she was, and now they're both here together."

"He was always here." Tenchi shook his head. "When you played with Sasami, he was here then. I saw him - or what existed of him - floating around the underbelly of the ship. He's a parasite, that's all - sucking on Ryoko's emotions and her memories in order to recreate his own existance. He's stealing her life - don't you realise how evil a thing that is?"

"But Hotsuma doesn't know what I know." Mirei said, shaking her head reproachfully. "He doesn't know that he's dead."

"He...doesn't?"

"No." Mirei agreed. "He believes that he rescued Ryoko from marauding pirates and that you and your crew were killed. He believes these things with all his heart. He has nightmares and he remembers things - snippets of something he's lost - but not enough to tell him everything. To him, life has just continued as it was before he died. With Ryoko. His memories are hers - all the things he knows he only knows because she remembers them too."

"Either way, I still have to stop him." Tenchi said firmly. "Mirei-chan, I don't have a lot of time. Do you know where Ryoko and Hotsuma are now?"

Mirei hesitated, then nodded her head.

"I know." She agreed. "And I will help you, Tenchi-san. But please, try and understand. He's been through a lot, just as I have. Take Ryoko home, of course - but don't hurt him. Please."

"I don't understand why you're so soft on him, but if that's what you want, then all right." Tenchi sighed. "I'll do my best. Just so long as he lets me have Ryoko back, he can have whatever he likes. But she belongs in my world, and his world is finished. Lead the way, Mirei. I think it's time I had a word with this pirate."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

It was growing late.

Ryoko hovered lazily across the spacious, empty ship's ballroom, pausing to glance in the mirror that hung at the top of the stairs as she did to. To her disappointment, she saw nothing there but her own reflection, and she sighed, shaking her head as she turned away.

"Why am I looking for that ghost girl, now?" She wondered. "She's dead and she doesn't even know for sure what her name is, let alone anything else. Why am I seeking her out? Is it because she's from the other side? Hell, am I looking for Tenchi, somewhere in all this chaos? Maybe Hotsuma's right and you do need to get a grip. Tenchi is dead, Ryoko. Deal with it. You know you have to, sooner or later. However much you want him back, it isn't going to happen. And you are wallowing. He wouldn't want that. He'd want...he'd want me to be happy. Somehow."

She glanced back at the mirror, hesitating and then pushing her hand through the glass. Finding no resistance, she carefully phased her whole upper body through, but there was nothing but an empty corridor on the other side and she frowned. However Mirei managed to hide within the crystal, it was obviously not a path that the living could follow.

She phased the rest of her body through, standing in the hallway as she tried to figure out her bearings. She had not been to this part of the ship before, she realised that with a sudden jolt of surprise. She had spent most of her time in the drive room, or avoiding Hotsuma's attention by concealing herself in the engine room or one of the salons. But this hallway seemed colder and bleaker than the rest of the brightly decorated ship and, as she followed it, she realised it led down, with cold steel steps that guided her into the belly of the ship.

Curiosity having got the better of her now, she made her way carefully down the stairway, finding herself in a long, expansive bay. She bit her lip, glancing around her as she did so. It was empty, but once it must have held more than just dust and cobwebs, for there were great storage spaces to either side of her and as she walked between them, she realised that nobody had been down here for a very long time.

"That's strange." She mused. "Hotsuma has turned the rest of this vessel into a pirate ship. The Balta colours fly from most walls, and most hints of the ship's former identity have been swept away into the shadows. But this place doesn't look like it's been touched for a long time. There's nothing here - no light, no supplies, nothing. Just empty darkness. I wonder why."

She held out a hand before her, a flicker of amber energy crackling across her palm and illuminating her surroundings more clearly in their amber glow. As the light grew, she was able to see further along the long, barren storage bay and as she reached about half way, she paused, bending to pick something up. It was a child's toy, aged and thick with dust, but unmistakeable.

"Mirei?" She murmured, glancing around her, but there was no answer and she frowned, glancing down at the doll once again. Holding her other hand well away from the object, so as her magic did not accidentally ignite it, she examined it more closely. It was unremarkable - the kind of toy that most children from priveledged families might have in their thousands. But as she turned it over, she saw a distinctive logo engraved into the bottom of the doll's shoe. She frowned.

"Airai?" She whispered. "Is that where Nagatabi comes from? Airai?"

She glanced at the other foot, a sad smile touching her lips as she registered the childish scrawling of the name, "Mirei" on the base of the other shoe. "Well, I guess that answers my question. This was Mirei's, which means this place must have some connection with her. Maybe this is why Hotsuma leaves it so much alone. If this is where she hides, no wonder he doesn't like to come down here. He's become a scaredy cat - hiding away from a little girl who couldn't hurt a fly. I wonder if she was from Airai. I guess it would make sense. This ship sure isn't Juraian, and I know there are some influential families on that planet."

She set the doll down carefully atop an old metal pipe that ran the length of the walls, moving further along the storage bay as she reached the far end. Another set of stairs beckoned to her - with one flight leading up and to the left, and the other down and to the right. She frowned.

"Didn't I already come this way?" She wondered. "Am I walking around in circles? Heck, maybe Hotsuma didn't come here because he hasn't managed to find it yet. All the corridors look the same. And how can we go further down? Surely there's not a layer beneath this one?"

She hovered contemplatively over the stairwell, but as she had suspected, the steps down led only to a small alcove, where once there had probably been seats and other paraphernalia for the ship's crew during respite. With a resigned shrug she pushed upwards instead, finding herself in another thin, narrow hallway. Just as the storage bay below, the dust and grime of the years had not been touched, and she ran a tentative finger along the wall, glancing at the residue with some measure of disgust.

"This isn't the same hall, though at first glance I guess you could think it was." She decided. "It could really use a clean - I'm going to be filthy after I'm done walking through here. Whether he knows it's here or not, he really needs to be a bit more ship-proud. No wonder nothing works. It's probably clogged up with dust, not Sargasso's influence after all."

Her finger brushed against a light switch and she flicked it on, bathing the hallway in a dim, luminescent glow.

"Well, the power works, at the very least." She observed. "So that's something. I wonder where it leads...if it leads anywhere."

"It leads to the nursery."

Hotsuma's voice came from behind her, startling her and as she turned to face him, she saw that his blue eyes were opaque and unreadable behind his glasses. He frowned, shaking his head. "And we don't come this way. It's her place. We leave it alone."

"Nursery?" Ryoko frowned. "Mirei's nursery? She's not a baby. I mean...she wasn't...she wasn't a baby."

"Rich families like to baby their kids. It's what they call it." Hotsuma said coldly. "And like I said, we don't stay here. This hallway and the floor below it - they're off limits. All right?"

"No, it isn't all right." Ryoko shook her head. "I've had enough of this ghost scare business. Mirei might be dead and she might be haunting you for stealing her ship. But she can't be more than eleven at most. What do you think an eleven year old spirit is going to do to you, huh? Put a sheet over her head and flit around your room? She's a child! So she's dead - big deal. She hasn't done anything so very bad since I came aboard Nagatabi and I think you're really overreacting. Probably the only reason she's still here is because you're so afraid of her."

"This hall-way is out of bounds." Hotsuma said angrily, flickering out of view and re-materialising at Ryoko's side. He grabbed her hand roughly, and she pulled it away, phasing through his grip as she glared at him.

"To you, maybe. I'm exploring." She said acidly. "You don't tell me what to do, Hotsuma."

"It's for your own good." Hotsuma said darkly. "I warned you."

"Are you threatening me?" Ryoko demanded. Hotsuma laughed, but it was a hollow, cold laugh.

"I don't have to." He said humourlessly. "It might already be too late."

"What do you mean?"

"I came here once. When Nagatabi first came into my hands." Hotsuma said bleakly. "Since then, she's not left me alone. In my dreams, she's always there. She makes me see her, again and again. The nightmares came when I first encountered her...I was fine until then. She might be a child, but she's evil. She has some kind of supernatural magic and she's cursed me with it already. Don't you understand - I'm only trying to stop her from cursing you too!"

"Cursing you?" Ryoko looked sceptical, and Hotsuma spread his hands.

"Every night I sleep, she shows me my death." He whispered. "Every time, she shows me how I'm going to die, in the halls of this ship. In the bay, below your feet...at the hands of a flashing weapon and a man with hate in his eyes."

"It's just a dream, Hotsuma. That's all." Ryoko frowned. "Dreams can't hurt you."

"I don't know, anymore." Hotsuma shook his head, and Ryoko could see the desperation in his eyes. "But I don't go down there, and I don't come here, either. This is her place, and if I don't come here, her evil hallucinations can never come true. You have to come back with me - upstairs, where it's safe. Otherwise she might curse you as well. And it's bad enough to see my own death, Ryoko. I don't want to see yours, too."

"I'm not afraid to die." Ryoko said pensively. "It can't be worse than being left alive and alone. Besides, I don't believe in ghost curses and I think you're being stupid. Mirei is a little girl who once lived aboard this ship. That's all. Nothing else."

"Really?" Hotsuma asked bitterly. "Then explain that to me."

He flicked his fingers in the direction of the floor and despite herself, Ryoko gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she made out the large, reddish stain that marked the wood-panelled flooring. She glanced up at him, stricken, and Hotsuma curled his lip into a cold smile.

"Something terrible happened aboard this ship." He said softly. "I don't know what, but every time I sleep, she taints me with it. With her darkness."

"You're babbling."

"No, Ryoko, I'm not!" Hotsuma shook his head, grabbing her around the wrists again in his desperation. "Listen to me! The Nagatabi is an Arian ship. I should know - my father was involved enough in the industry and I saw enough of them when I was a boy. Mirei was Arian, just like me - and Airai has many dark, subversive cults that claim to wield black magic. She might be dead, but she still haunts me. She's part of it. Part of the evil. You must see that."

Ryoko sighed, gently prising his fingers from her wrists.

"What I see is someone letting childhood nightmare and superstition cloud his judgement - which isn't like you." She said softly. "Your father may have been tortured by one of these so called cults of Airai, and you might have fled the planet looking for somewhere safer to roam. I'd forgotten, but it makes more sense now that you'd be scared by all this. But Mirei is a child, and I know plenty about dark magic. Believe me, I'm half Kii, so I know all about what it can do. The truth is, she's just a girl. She might have magic or she might not. But I think she's just a little dead girl looking for friends. That's all. She seems sweet and she's harmless. You have to stop letting your fears run away with you. Whatever happened on this ship, it happened a long time ago. And Mirei isn't haunting your dreams. That's just your paranoia and I know you're stronger than that, Hotsuma. You can overcome it. After all, dreams aren't real."

Hotsuma did not reply, and for a moment Ryoko thought her words had upset him. Then, as she glanced at his face, she realised he was staring at something over her shoulder, his eyes glazed and uncertain and his skin suddenly ash pale. Frowning, she turned around, her eyes widening in disbelief as she registered what had caught his attention.

Mirei hovered at the furthest end of the corridor, but it was not the ghost girl who had caught her attention. At her side, clutching her hand tightly was the semi-transparent, flickering form of another, and her heart stilled in her throat as she recognised his face.

Despite herself, she took a step back.

"I don't believe it." She murmured. "_Tenchi_?"

------------------------

"How much longer is this going to take?"

Washu glanced up from where she had been monitoring Tenchi's status like a hawk, shooting the bounty hunter an irritated look as she registered the impatience in the woman's blood-red eyes. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"As long as it takes. Hopefully not a lot longer." She said simply. "Tenchi's sustaining himself so far, but he's walking a thin line. He's not as naturally predisposed to this as Ryoko is and it's putting a lot of pressure on his heart and his brain to function correctly. A little longer, Nagi. Hold Ken Ohki still just a while more."

"I can wait all day." Nagi said off-handedly. "But _they_ might not be so keen."

She flicked her hand in the direction of the space outside the ship's dome and Washu raised her gaze, cursing in Kii as she saw the massing pirate ships that hovered on the starboard bow.

"Pirates." She muttered darkly. "Great. Just what we need!"

"Even in Sargasso, I guess you're not completely safe from thieves." Nagi said drolly. "Ken Ohki, prime your lasers. They might think we're easy pickings, but they should know by now that they can't kill _this_ bounty hunter."

"_No!_" Washu was on her feet in a moment, shaking her head. "No, Nagi, no lasers! We can't risk it - Tenchi's too unstable as it is! One wrong judder and we could lose him completely - sever his tenuous connection with his body and strand him in the middle of this awful place forever. I won't do that - not when I told him his life was in my hands!"

"If we don't fire the lasers, they'll blow us to smithereens." Nagi said angrily. "Washu, I thought you were supposed to be a genius. Tenchi will just have to take his chances. We can't risk not opening fire - do you think that they'll just pass on by and ignore us? They've come here with a purpose, and that purpose is me. It has to be. Why else come so deep into dangerous Sargasso space, if not to hunt down and kill the bounty hunter who's been disposing of their comrades for years?"

"I won't risk Tenchi's life that way." Washu's eyes clouded. "Nagi, there has to be some other way. Moving Ken Ohki now could prove disasterous - and I couldn't face Ryoko if she woke up and I had to tell her I'd lost her paramour in the mists of space!"

"If you don't let me fire, Washu, you won't be in any position to talk to Ryoko at all." Nagi snapped. "Because we'll all be dead. Not just Tenchi. They're priming their weapons - I can see the glow from here. We've seconds to react and I don't care what you want to do. I am not about to see Ken Ohki splattered all over Sargasso."

Washu bit her lip, glancing down at her hands for a moment. Then she moved away from Tenchi's side, placing her palms down on the edges of Ken Ohki's control panel.

"Give me a minute." She begged. "Just one. If this doesn't work, then...then I guess you have to do what you have to. But I have to try."

"One minute might be more than we have." Nagi said blackly. "What are you going to do?"

Washu did not respond. Instead she closed her eyes, inwardly muttering an ancient Kii prayer for help as she summoned every inch of her strength and resolve. At first nothing happened, but as she redoubled her efforts, she felt an old flame surge up inside her heart, igniting her senses and sending prickles through every single one of her nerve endings. She repeated her prayer aloud, in low, desperate tones as she forced more and more energy into the ship. Around her, everything seemed to become distant and blurred, and Nagi's voice seemed far away, her words spoken in a tongue she no longer understood.

And then, just as she began to think that all her effort was not enough, something flared out around Ken Ohki, growing and strengthening into a bright white glare as it stabilised. She opened her eyes, drawing a deep breath into her lungs as she fought tooth and nail to keep the forcefield constant.

"What in the world...?" Nagi's tone was one of incredulation, and Washu offered her a grim smile.

"Kii...magic." She murmured. "I don't know how long I can hold it...but they won't break through while it's there."

"I thought that you said your magic was pretty much dead." Nagi eyed her quizzically.

"I guess not." Washu whispered. "I guess it was always built on something stronger than the soul of a wounded planet, after all. It was given me by my father, not by my world. Yume was right. It _is_ still there. I've just forgotten how best to use it, that's all. I never let him teach me how, for all the times he tried."

She closed her eyes, as dizziness threatened to overwhelm her senses. "Are they still massing? I...I don't know how long I...I can maintain it. I never was the witch my father wanted me to be, and without Kihaku, I'm drawing only on my own strength to...to do any of this."

"The nearest ship fired a volley in our direction, but it glanced right off. Ken Ohki didn't even register an impact." Nagi responded, and Washu could hear grudging admiration in her voice. "And I thought it hard to imagine that you and Ryoko were related. But now I can see it."

"Let's hope I have enough stamina." Washu gasped. "Or our pirate friends give up and...and...and go away. I need to get back to...to Tenchi. Monitor him."

"He's breathing." Nagi told her. "And the pirates are trying another round. Two of them have pulled back, but the third is still trying his luck. I guess they think they've encountered Sargasso's ghost magic or something."

She laughed.

"I can only imagine what they'll say about me and my ship, once this is over." She added, amused.

"I can't hold on much more." Washu gritted her teeth. "Nagi, I'm going to have to...to drop the shield. The third ship - is it posing us a threat?"

"It was." Nagi said critically. "But the last round it fired at your shield bounced right back at it. Blew the thing to smithereens. Talk about karma. Even Ken Ohki couldn't have aimed it better."

Washu faltered, slipping to her knees as she relinquished her grip on Ken Ohki's control panel. She put a hand to her head as the glow flickered and faded, struggling for a moment against the intense waves of dizzy exhaustion that washed unrelentingly over her body.

Then, at length, she raised her gaze to her companion.

"I don't think they'll be back, if one of their crafts was destroyed." She said faintly. "And we saved Ken Ohki's laser, so Tenchi should...should be okay."

"You're a strange creature." Nagi held out a hand, and after a moment, Washu took it, allowing the bounty hunter to pull her to her feet. "But at least I know now why Ryoko was the pirate she was."

"Oh?" Washu looked startled. Nagi nodded.

"She has your spirit." She said keenly. "Are you all right, or are you going to pass out on me?"

"I...I'm all right." Washu made a superhuman effort to regain her composure, offering the bounty hunter a nonchalant grin. "I'm Kii. We're tougher than that."

"Demon magic indeed." Nagi mused. Washu shook her head.

"No." She responded. "It's not demon magic. It's just very old, that's all, and badly understood."

"Well, whatever it is, it's fine with me." Nagi offered her a smile. "And if, when we get back to the Earth, you can pull up something scientific like that to protect Ken Ohki in future, then this whole business will have been worth my time and effort. I can't imagine even the Daidalos would stand much of a chance against a forcefield of that nature."

"Science isn't always as strong as magic, but it's probably my better discipline." Washu said ruefully. "I promise, Nagi. When we get back to the Earth - when this is over - I'll make sure Ken Ohki has enough defences to scare the whole Daluma guild."

She sank down at Tenchi's side once more, glancing over the monitors and frowning.

"I hope he hurries up. And that he can find his way back, somehow." She added. "He's not as strong as he was...I don't know how much time we have."

"Have faith." Nagi said softly. Washu looked surprised.

"Nagi?"

Nagi smiled.

"You're a strange bunch, all of you." She mused. "But one thing I've learnt about you is that you all challenge the odds to come through and help one another. It defies logic, but you do it, all the same. He'll find what he's looking for. You'll see."

"I hope so." Washu admitted. "And I suppose you're right. It's like...like we're a family, in so many ways. And there's nothing family won't do for one another."

Nagi was quiet for a moment, and Washu wondered if she'd offended the bounty hunter in some way. Then Nagi turned, a sad smile on her face.

"As you say." She agreed, running her fingers absently over Ken Ohki's control panel. "Hold your line, Ken Ohki. We're just going to wait...until the Prince returns."

----------

"_Tenchi_?"

As the ethereal apparition grew more and more defined before her, Ryoko's composure seemed to crumble and glancing at her, Hotsuma's brow creased into a dark frown. Anger replacing his initial fear, he put himself neatly between his companion and the two spectres, holding up his hands. Glittering blue light flickered across his palms, as he met Tenchi's gaze coldly.

"Let her go." Tenchi spoke softly, but his voice resonated around the hallway in a ghostly echo. "I mean it, Hotsuma. Let her go."

"Go where?" Hotsuma glared defiantly back at him, the crackling energy growing until it enveloped him completely. "To her death? I don't think so."

"Are you...real?" Ryoko took a hesitant step forward, reaching out a hand to the flickering form before her, and Tenchi cast her a smile, offering his hand in return. With a yell Hotsuma pushed her back against the wall, shaking his head.

"It's a trap! One of that girl's evil games!" He told her darkly. "She'll make you see whatever she likes, then she'll snare you in her spell. Tenchi is dead - you know that he's dead. Nothing else is real!"

"You're lying to her!" Tenchi exclaimed, indignation in his tones. "You're the one who's evil - you're the one who's keeping her here!"

"Prove it." Hotsuma sent a crackling bolt of energy in Tenchi's direction, and the prince set his teeth, holding out his hands as his body became enveloped in a soft white glow. Ryoko's eyes opened wide at this.

"Tenchi-kun." She whispered. "The Jurai power! Hotsuma, he's real. Only a Prince..only Tenchi...maybe he isn't dead. Maybe Tsunami..."

"Shut _up_, Ryoko." Hotsuma cut across her, shaking his head. "I told you, she makes you see what she wants you to see. She teases at your thoughts and parades them in front of you. He's not there - whatever you think you see. He's a hallucination, or a ghost. He's not real. Tenchi is dead. You know that's the truth."

"I'm _not_ dead." Tenchi stepped forward, his flickering aura spreading and glowing with ethereal energy as he drew closer to the pirate and his confused companion. "You've just been lying to her, that's all. Ryoko, all of this, it's the illusion. You're not really here. You're at home, on Earth. Washu and I have been trying to reach you, but this was the only way. He's been stopping you from coming back - he's the one who won't let you go."

"Hotsuma?" Ryoko eyed her guardian uncertainly and a stab of anguish shot through Hotsuma's body at the look in her golden eyes. He scowled, shaking his head.

"If that's true, why can't you contact Ryo Ohki?" He challenged. "You know that if she was still alive, you'd still be bonded with her. The ship was destroyed and everyone aboard it was killed. You know that. Don't let him play with your mind. He has no claim on you any more. He's dead. There's nothing left and he wants to drag you down to hell with him."

"You're the one who's dead, Hotsuma-san!" Tenchi snapped. "You take my girlfriend and you use her strength and her memories to feed your own, but without her, you're nothing."

"Liar!" Rage flared in Hotsuma's heart and he launched himself at the apparition, his entire form crackling with electric energy. As he made contact with the Jurain magic, however, he found himself repelled the length of the hallway and Ryoko let out an exclamation as he clattered against the hard steel wall.

"_Hotsuma_!"

"Ryoko, listen to me." Tenchi's tones were becoming desperate, as his form flickered and blurred at the edges. "He's been lying to you. Please. Believe me. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Tenchi." Tears spang into Ryoko's eyes, and she shook her head. "He's right, Tenchi. If Ryo Ohki were still alive, I'd be able to contact her. And she...she's not there. So...so nor are you. Much as I want you to be...I know you're not. And I can't...please. Don't do this to me. If you really are his spirit, please, leave me be. I can't handle seeing you this way. I just...can't."

"You see, Earth boy, she's not a fool." Hotsuma picked himself up, advancing once more on the prince and his companion. As he reached Ryoko, he flipped his knife from his belt and then, without a moment of hesitation, he drew the blade smoothly and cleanly across his palm. Fresh blood bubbled and gushed across his skin, and he held his hand up to his foe, a look of triumph on his face.

"Blood doesn't flow from dead hands." He whispered. "Leave this place. Leave my ship! Ryoko isn't coming with you. She's safe here and if you care about her at all, you'll let her go!"

"Ryoko!" Tenchi exclaimed, as Hotsuma held out his blade to his companion, and hesitantly she took it, touching the blood that stained the blade. She bit her lip.

"I don't think I can." She whispered. "Not while he's here."

"It's the only way to get rid of him once and for all." Hotsuma said darkly. "You know it and so do I. And he's not really here. You're hanging onto a past that's gone and over, and it's not healthy for you. This is your world now - you're a pirate and you've just forgotten, that's all. Make the bond and let me help you remember. You belong here with me, in the real world. Not in a ghost's domain, with him and that wretched girl!"

He jerked an accusatory finger in the silent Mirei's direction, spattering droplets of blood across the floor of the corridor as he did so.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi's aura faltered and died as she glanced once more at the knife, stretching out her left palm and eying it hesitantly. "Ryoko, no! If you do this, you'll be in this world forever! You'll never be able to come home, because then you will be dead! He wants you to sever all connection with me because he knows you'll also sever connection to the real world if you mingle blood with him! You're not a pirate - not any more. You're more than that, and we have a bond stronger than any pirate one. Please, listen to me. I'm telling you the truth! Hotsuma is dead, Mirei is dead, this whole ship is a floating corpse stuck in the middle of the Sargasso Sea. None of this is real - it's all an illusion. Everything he knows, he draws from your thoughts. His memories are yours. Everything here is false. Do you really want to stay in this place for the rest of eternity?"

Ryoko faltered, gazing at him in consternation, and Hotsuma let out a roar of anger.

"Leave her alone, spirit!" He exclaimed. "Stop trying to confuse her!"

A bolt of electric energy flew out across the ship, this time catching Tenchi square in the stomach and sending him tumbling back onto the floor. Hotsuma bore down on him, anger glinting in his blue eyes.

"Elemental Arian magic can hurt ghosts...did you know that?" He asked dangerously. "It's kept Mirei at bay long enough, and it will speak for you too. You'll leave Ryoko alone, and go back to your dead, cold world, you hear me? Don't taunt her with promises you can't keep."

"Hotsuma-san. Enough."

At that moment Mirei intervened, flickering her slight, delicate form in between the pirate and the prince and holding up her hands.

"Do you want a taste of it, too?" Hotsuma's eyes narrowed. He cast a glance back at Ryoko, who still held the knife in her hand. "Ryoko, do it! The only way to stop this is for you to accept that the past is dead. That's the only way you'll ever be free of it!"

"Ryoko, no!" Tenchi exclaimed, struggling to pull himself upright. "You mustn't! You can't! _I won't let him kill you_!"

"_Tenchi..._" Tears rolled down Ryoko's cheeks, her usual defiant demeanour nowhere in evidence and the look in her eyes struck pain deep into Hotsuma's heart. He turned his attention back to the fallen, weakening prince and his childish defender, menace glittering in his expression.

"I will speak for you both, this time." He said coldly. "Enough ghosts. Enough curses. Nagatabi is my ship and I _will_ be left in peace!"

"Tenchi-sama's magic is strong, and he loves Ryoko-san. He won't leave her, and you musn't try and make him." Mirei said softly. "Hotsuma-san, stop it. I don't like fighting...it has to stop. It's wrong. Please. Stop this."

"Get out of my way."

"No." Mirei's gaze hardened. "You're going to let Ryoko go with Tenchi-sama."

"I'm going to do no such thing!" Hotsuma exclaimed indignantly. "What kind of a fool do you think I am?"

Mirei eyed him sadly for a moment, then, very purposefully, she held out her hands, taking his in her grip.

"Tenchi-sama's magic made me remember. Things I had lost, but now I see them clearly." She said softly, moving her ghostly fingers carefully across his palm towards the still bloody wound. "You don't understand, Hotsuma, but I'm going to make you. You see, Tenchi is right. This world, it's where you and I belong. Not where he and Ryoko do. He isn't dead, and nor is she. They have full lives, full memories. Everything makes sense. But you and I, we drift here. We've lost all connection to time and reality. Without them, we wouldn't be more than bits of the past."

"_Mirei_?" as the girl's skin made contact with his blood, Hotsuma's eyes opened wide with surprise and alarm. "What...what are you doing!"

"Mirei, get away from him! Don't hurt him!" Ryoko's exclamation came from somewhere behind him, but Mirei shook her head.

"I won't hurt him. I'll help him. I'll make him remember the things he can't see for himself." She said gently. "Ryoko-san, it's all right. I know who I am, now. And I know who he is. I know everything. And I'm going to make it right."

"What do you mean, everything?" Ryoko hesitated.

"Hotsuma died aboard Nagatabi." Mirei said softly. "He was gunned down by my father, after a raid that went wrong."

As she spoke, Hotsuma found himself drowning in memories, as his dreams suddenly came to life in front of him with startling clarity. The man with angry, grief crazed eyes, his weapon raised...

He let out a faint moan, trying to pull his hand away, but Mirei held him firmly.

"He pursued you through the ship and you were too afraid to retreat to your own. Too stunned by what you'd seen." She continued gently. "Down beneath our feet, in the supply deck, he caught up with you. He took your life, Hotsuma, even though you tried to make him listen. And I watched - I saw it all happen. But I couldn't stop it. Father couldn't see me...he didn't know. He couldn't hear, and then it was too late."

Hotsuma closed his eyes, sinking to his knees and gently Mirei released her grip on his hand. He glanced down at his palm, seeing the congealing blood that hid the mark of his old pirate scars. He raised his gaze to the girl's, a look of despair in their depths.

"Hotsuma?" Ryoko was beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Is she right?"

"I..." Hotsuma faltered, swallowing hard against the bile that rose in his throat. "I don't know."

"It's true." Tenchi said softly. "And there's more. Mirei's father was charged on Airai for the murder of a pirate, but the case was dismissed because he claimed he was griefstricken - avenging the murder of his little girl. You see, Ryoko, Hotsuma's been hiding that from you, also. He didn't only steal this ship, and die for his trouble. He took Mirei's life, also. He's not just a pirate. He's a child-murderer, too."

Ryoko's expression became one of incredulation, and Hotsuma's heart ached at the look of revulsion in her golden eyes.

"You..._killed_ her?" She whispered. "A Balta, who doesn't bring children into fights? What happened to that, Hotsuma? Did you forget Komachi's values when you started to fly solo across the universe?"

"_No_!" Hotsuma was on his feet, shaking his head. "It's not true! _It's not true_!"

"It's as true as anything else Mirei just said." Tenchi said flatly. "Nagi told me the story, and Ryoko, you know better than anyone that she doesn't lie."

He held out his hand to her, and Ryoko hesitated, glancing from the pirate to the ghostly form of her paramour.

"I'm confused." She whispered. "I don't know what's real and what isn't. I just don't...maybe I'm imagining all of this. Maybe I am going mad. Perhaps I'm the one who's dead. Perhaps..."

"No, Ryoko-san. You're not dead. Or mad." Mirei shook her head.

"So what did happen aboard the Nagatabi?" Ryoko looked helpless. "Did Hotsuma really kill you, Mirei? Or...or what? Who's telling me the truth!"

"Everyone, as they understand the truth to be." Mirei said reflectively. She hovered higher, and Hotsuma gazed up at her, confusion in his own expression.

"I didn't kill her." He murmured. "I didn't. I wouldn't. Whatever I am, Ryoko, and whatever else I've done...I wouldn't kill a child."

"And you expect us to just step back and believe that?" Tenchi demanded. "When you've stolen Ryoko's soul and tried to keep her a prisoner in your undead world aboard a ghost ship?"

"Tenchi-sama, no. Hotsuma-san _is_ telling the truth." Mirei said matter-of-factly.

"But..." Tenchi faltered, and Mirei smiled.

"Let me show you." She whispered, flexing her fingers and bathing the entirety of the corridor in a whiteish haze. "Then you'll understand."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

_The pirate ran through the corridors of the ship, pausing to catch his breath as he squinted out into the black space beyond. His eyes narrowed as he recognised the hulk of the ship that loomed beyond, and he shook his head, disapproval flickering across his expression._

_"Daidalos." He muttered. "Shank! Damn Daluma - this is my call! This is Balta space!"_

_He pulled back into the shadows, holding his breath as he heard the soft sound of voices from the end of the passageway. _

_"...Should fetch a decent sum of money." He heard one man say, his tones low and difficult to make out. _

_"And what about the Balta?" Another man asked. The first man snorted._

_"I can take any Balta who think they're taking Daluma pickings tonight." He responded scornfully. "Go back to Daidalos and be ready to leave. I'll grab the girl and be with you in a few minutes."_

_"Yes, Captain."_

_The pirate muttered another curse under his breath, inwardly wishing that he'd not decided upon this mission alone. He had, he mused ruefully, allowed his ambition and his ego to get in the way of his common sense, and he had not forseen the complication of another pirate vessel cruising the same part of space._

_"But everyone knew that the Nagatabi was flying through here tonight." He remembered. "And I'm not the only pirate who wants to make a mint from hoisting that girl. Come on, Hotsuma, you know this is as easy as they come. It's a big ship and if you play your cards right the Daluma will be too preoccupied with the father to worry about the daughter. She's just a kid - she won't put up any fight. I just wish I hadn't come on my own. If Ryoko were here, we'd have double the chances. Damn her obstinacy!"_

_He clenched his fists, forcing his anger to cool._

_"No, I don't need her. Her or her squeamishness for human contact." he decided. "This heist is going to make me rich - and then she'll be sorry she didn't choose to be a part of it. This family are one of the richest on Airai - there has to be big potential for a ransom. If you're not willing to take a few chances, what's the point in being a pirate?"_

_He crept cautiously through the corridors, pausing and listening at every entrance before crossing to the next level. As he moved, he was no longer aware of Shank's footsteps and he frowned, hoping against hope that he hadn't been beaten to the punch by his hated foe. Getting back to Gai'En was no trouble, he mused grimly. But he had no mind to do so empty-handed._

_"Who are you?"_

_A voice startled him, and he turned, seeing the curious brown eyed gaze of the little girl watching him. She did not seem afraid, merely interested and as he stared at her, she held out her hand. "Did you come to play? I'm Mirei. My Father owns this ship. Are you one of his friends?"_

_"Sort of." Hotsuma hedged, pursing his lips as he considered his options. He could grab the girl and flee, he knew that - but there was every chance that she might scream, and he didn't want to alert anyone to his presence until he was long gone. "Are you going to sound the alarm?"_

_"I'm not allowed to do that unless it's an emergency. Father would be cross with me otherwise." Mirei shook her head. "I was looking at the spaceships outside. I like that one...do you see it?"_

_She indicated out of the porthole, and despite himself, Hotsuma smiled._

_"That's my spaceship." He said softly. "His name is Gai'En. Would you like to come visit him?"_

_"I would...but Father doesn't like me to visit spaceships I don't know." Mirei said seriously. "Even if they belong to his friends."_

_"I see." Hotsuma said softly. "And what else does your Father say, Mirei-chan?"_

_"That I'm not to run riot around the ship." Mirei giggled. "But I like playing hide and seek. It's so boring, travelling through space. We're going to Jurai, you know. But it's such a long way and I don't have anyone to play with. Will you play with me?"_

_"I suppose I could." Hotsuma hesitated, then held out his hand to her. She took it, offering him a grin._

_"You're nice." She observed. "I'm glad you came to visit. What's your name? You didn't tell me."_

_"Hotsuma." Hotsuma responded. "And I have a game for you. It's like hide and seek, only it's much more of an adventure. Do you want to play?"_

_"All right." Mirei nodded her head. "I like new games."_

_Hotsuma grinned at her, but before he could do anything else the sound of the ship's alarm rang through the lower decks, startling him and making him loose her grip._

_"Damn." he muttered. "Someone must have..."_

_He faltered, and Mirei stared at him, confused._

_"Father's raised the alarm." She said, fear in the depths of her brown eyes. "That means there are pirates and I have to go back to my room. I'm sorry, Hotsuma-san. I can't play with you now. I have to obey my Father, or he'll be cross with me."_

_"Mirei, wait a minute." Hotsuma shook his head. "It might be dangerous. Let me come with you."_

_"I can't. I have to go." Mirei shook her head. "It was nice to meet you, Hotsuma-san. Bye bye!"_

_With a careless laugh she turned on her heel, running back along the corridor and disappearing up the stairs. Hotsuma hesitated for a moment, half-inclined to withdraw to Gai'En and give it up as a bad job._

_"After all, she's seen me and she knows my name, now." He murmured. "It's too risky. I wasn't prepared to encounter her like that. She's a brave little kid, that's for sure. But Shank is still aboard this ship and I'm not going to let him get his grubby hands on her. If anyone is getting a ransom for the kid, it's going to be me - and I won't abuse her like the Daluma will. For her sake and my own financial well being, I can't give up yet. I need to find out where exactly her room is."_

_As he mounted the stairs, two at a time, he heard an unearthly shriek echo through the halls of the ship and, fear gripping his heart he sped up his pace, hurrying along the corridor in the direction of the sound. As he reached the next floor, he stopped dead, seeing the unmistakeable shape of his rival standing over something still and limp on the floor. At the sound of his approach, the man turned, and Hotsuma registered the evil glint in Tarant Shank's beady eyes. He frowned, raising his weapon._

_"This is my call." He said quietly. "Get out of Balta space, Daluma. You have no right being here."_

_"I have every right being where I want." Shank spat back. "But I'm not playing games with you tonight, Balta scum. You want her, she's all yours. For all the good she'll be to you."_

_He pressed a button on his wristband, hazing and disappearing from sight and as he did so, Hotsuma registered for the first time what the motionless shape on the floor was. He swore, rushing to the girl's side, and swallowing hard as he noticed the slow, steady pool of blood that seeped out from beneath her body._

_"Mirei." He whispered. "No...that bastard Shank! She's just a child!"_

_He placed his fingers to her throat, feeling for a lifebeat and at length he found it, feeble but there. Gently he slid his arms beneath her body, struggling to lift her without causing her further injury. All thought of ransom gone, his only impulse was to help the little girl that he'd spoken to just mere moments before about the beauty of his ship. He swallowed again, trying to rid himself of the bitter taste in his mouth._

_There was so much blood._

_As he cradled the small girl in his arms, the pirate felt a mixture of emotions flooding through his body. He clutched her tightly, putting a finger to her cheek as he willed her to open her eyes._

_At length she did so, staring up at him with confused and fearful brown eyes. He bit his lip, unable to find words to say. _

_For a moment they remained there, pirate and child, as if time had stopped aboard the spaceship. _

_Then the sound of footsteps on the gantry above sparked the pirate into life and he got to his feet, carefully laying the girl down on the floor._

_She blinked at him, parting her lips as if to speak, but no sound came out. He swallowed hard, watching as she drew a final, gasping breath. Then her eyes closed for the final time, and all was still._

_The footsteps drew closer, and, frightened now, the pirate took a step and then another away from the girl's body, blood still staining his fingers as he turned on his heel, fleeing through the constricting corridors of the vessel. Logical thought abandoned him as he ran, all his usual evasion techniques becoming garbled and confused in his panic to get away. All he could think of was escape...that somehow, he had to get away from this place, and rinse the blood from his hands and his nightmares._

_The pounding steps drew closer, and the terrified pirate was aware of the man's yell as he discovered the body of the little girl._

_"Mirei!" He exclaimed._

"Oh God..."

As the pictures faded, fear leapt into Ryoko's heart and she shook her head, struggling to clear it. "And I'd forgotten. You badgered me so much to take part in this kidnap and ransom mission of yours, Hotsuma. You told me it was easy money, and I told you you were out of your mind. I could have been there. I could have died aboard Nagatabi too, and all because of Shank. Or...or I could have been your escape. If I'd been there..."

She faltered, and for a moment there was silence.

Hotsuma did not react to her words, his expression unreadable, and after a moment of hesitation, Ryoko took his hand in hers. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tenchi start towards her, but Mirei put a restraining hand on his arm, preventing him from intervening.

"I didn't even know what had happened." Ryoko said guiltily, meeting the pirate's gaze with a sad one of her own. "That you'd even tried, or that it had gone so wrong. I didn't know any of this."

Hotsuma bit his lip, raising his gaze to hers.

"I didn't abduct you." He said quietly. "I'm not so much of a rogue as that. I don't know what drew you here, if the memories I have are all a lie. But when you were, I wanted you to stay. And there have been a lot of strange things - things I can't explain. A lot of uncertainty. My dreams, and Mirei, and everything else. The things I can't remember how to do, even though we both know that I could once do them. But I didn't know why, Ryoko-chan. I didn't remember. You have to believe that."

"I do." Ryoko said softly. "But if Mirei is right, I can't stay here. If she's telling the truth, this isn't the real world. And...and Tenchi isn't dead. I love him, Hotsuma. More than anything I've ever had in my life. I can't stay and be a pirate any more...even if this world _was_ real. It's not who I am now, and I think you know as well as I do that it just wouldn't have worked."

She faltered, then,

"I'm sorry I thought you could have killed a child." She added. "I should have known better than that."

"So you should." Hotsuma managed a faint smile. Then he frowned, glancing at his scarred palm.

"It's all been a lie." He murmured. "Everything."

"But not in vain." Mirei pointed out softly. "Now they know the truth, Hotsuma-san. Your name will be cleared. You and I, we can both rest in peace now that someone finally knows our story."

"I suppose so." Hotsuma nodded, a look of regret in his eyes. He eyed Ryoko keenly, then he rested his hands gently on her shoulders. Ryoko was aware of a strange glittering light dancing around the edges of his form as gently he kissed her on the cheek.

"You have a new bond partner now." He said softly. "And pirates can't spend too much time living in the past. Goodbye, Ryoko-chan. Live well, for me."

With that he released his grip as his body was bathed in bright, dazzling light and Ryoko covered her eyes, shielding them from the glare. When she looked again, he was gone.

"He'll be all right, you know." Mirei told her with a smile. "Thank you for coming to Nagatabi, Ryoko. Now he knows everything, he can be at peace. And so can I. You can tell our story, when you get back to your world. And people will know that he didn't kill me after all. Will you do that for us? Please? Make sure people understand?"

"We'll make sure the record is put straight." Tenchi said quietly. "I owe you that much, for helping us as much as you have. But what about you, Mirei? Now that you know who you are, are you still staying aboard Nagatabi?"

"No." Mirei shook her head. She giggled, a child-like smile touching her lips. "I'll go with him, soon. But when I do, Nagatabi will be a dead, empty ship once more. I can't show you how to get back to where you belong. You'll have to find your own way, I'm sorry. I don't know the way back."

"We'll find it." Ryoko said. She faltered, then held out a hand and Tenchi took it, squeezing her fingers between his ghostly grip. "Thank you, Mirei. You said you wanted to help, and I guess you did. I suppose there's more to the superstition than I ever thought - but now Hotsuma's at peace, there's nothing to stay here for."

Mirei shrugged.

"I never did find my doll." She said regretfully.

"Is that why you stayed behind?" Ryoko stared. "Because of a toy?"

"My mother gave it me, before she died. And I lost it the night I was killed." Mirei agreed. "And then, when it all happened...I was trapped here, like he was."

Ryoko smiled.

"The doll is in the supply deck." She said quietly. "I found it there, earlier this evening. It had been knocked beneath a grate, but it was there, all the same. You can take it with you, now. And then you can go, too...to wherever it is you go, after you die."

"Somewhere beautiful." Mirei said softly. "Mother told me that, before she went to sleep. That it was beautiful."

She offered them another smile, then she clasped her hands together, sinking down through the floorboards of the hallway and out of sight.

For a moment Ryoko and Tenchi just stared at each other. Then Tenchi offered her a smile.

"I guess that's our cue to leave." He murmured, as the bright lights and pretty decor of the Nagatabi began to falter and fade into the dusty, neglected rooms of a dead ship. "Washu said it would be tough to get back. Do you think you can find your way?"

"I don't know, but I guess I get to try." Ryoko said ruefully. "What about...what about you?"

"Don't worry about me." Tenchi grinned. "I found you, coming this way. I can go wherever you go, and Washu said you had a natural predisposition to doing this kind of thing, anyway."

"Really?" Ryoko blinked. "Another Kii trait?"

"I think so." Tenchi agreed. He squeezed her hand. "Okay. I guess I'll see you - back on the Earth."

"On the Earth." Ryoko echoed, nodding. She faltered, then kissed him firmly on the lips.

"To help you find your way back, lover." She whispered playfully. Then she closed her eyes, focusing every inch of her thoughts on the Earth and the quiet mountain home that had become her safe haven. As the Nagatabi began to blur and fade around her, she felt Tenchi's grip on her fingers loosen. Then she was flying through space, zipping and dancing across the cosmos as she beamed towards the Earth. Closing her eyes even tighter, she clenched her fists together, hoping that it was enough to bring her safely back to where she belonged.

For a moment, her mind was a whirl of colours. And then there was nothing but darkness.

-----------------

"_Ryoko_!"

Tenchi sat up on his pallet, breathing hard as he ripped free Washu's restraints and cables, struggling to get to his feet.

"Woah boy!" Washu put out her hands to restrain him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To Ryoko. I have to...I have to make sure she got back okay." Tenchi fought against her grip, and Washu sent him an amused smile.

"Unless you're going for a long space-walk, you're going to sit tight and wait for Nagi to pilot us home." She said chidingly. "Patience. Am I to understand that you found her, then?"

"Yes." Tenchi drew a deep breath into his lungs, suddenly aware of how cold and weak he felt. He shivered involuntarily, and Washu handed him his shirt, helping him to pull it over his shaking body as she wrapped an additional blanket protectively around his shoulders. "Yes, I did."

"And was I right? Was it the pirate, keeping her there?"

"Sort of." Tenchi frowned. "Washu, Hotsuma was there. He seemed...real. More real than I did. He didn't know he was dead - he really thought he'd rescued Ryoko from an explosion. He was haunting Nagatabi - you were right about that. Him and the little girl - the one who befriended Sasami. The Mirei girl Nagi mentioned. Only he didn't kill her - Nagi, he was framed. Mirei showed me everything. He couldn't rest because he'd been wrongfully accused and slaughtered for something he didn't do - and we promised Mirei that we'd set the record straight. Ryoko and me, I mean."

"You're babbling, Tenchi. Shut up." Washu said firmly. "Save it for when we get back. You're tired and in shock, and you need to conserve your energy. You've been very brave, but your body isn't built for this kind of thing."

"But I'm telling you the truth." Tenchi protested. "Mirei was killed by that Shank guy - the one who attacked Ryo Ohki in the first place. Hotsuma was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Really." Nagi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That's interesting to know. I wonder if his reward money might be raised if they add child murder to his already impressive list of crimes."

"Nagi, this isn't about money." Tenchi scolded. Washu laughed.

"To Nagi, it probably is." She said simply. "I have no doubt that, when she finally reels him in, Nagi will have Shank confessing to everything and anything before she hands him over to the Galaxy Police."

"You can say that again." Nagi agreed, cracking her knuckles contemplatively. "I'll make sure I mention it to him."

Tenchi sank back against the pallet, closing his eyes.

"I wish I knew Ryoko was safe." He murmured. "She came so close to bonding with him again, Washu. He wanted her to and she almost did. If Mirei hadn't been there, I don't think I'd have talked her around. She thought we were all dead...Ryo Ohki too."

"Poor Ryoko." Washu frowned. "That must have been a cold, bleak future to contemplate. She's begun putting so much stock recently in relationships of one kind or another - thanks to your influence, I think. To lose either you or Ryo Ohki would have been a harsh blow, but to lose the both of you..."

"Well, she hasn't." Tenchi sighed. "So long as I haven't lost her."

He opened his eyes, glancing across at the ship's enigmatic pilot.

"Nagi, how long till we reach the Earth?"

"Not long." Nagi replied off-handedly. "As soon as Washu-san said you were coming out of it, I wheeled Ken Ohki round and he's a fast craft. It's not a long trip, not flying direct. And we're both getting more than a little bit familiar with the route, recently. We'll be there before you know it - so no more whining, please. I've just begun to think of you as a man. Don't make me revert my opinion of you back to snivelling boy."

Tenchi stared at her, then a smile touched his lips.

"Sorry, Nagi-san." He said contritely. "I guess it's the shock talking."

"Well, tell it to talk a little less, and we'll be fine." Nagi told him frankly. "All right, Ken Ohki. Prepare to enter Earth's orbit and head right for the Masaki shrine."

"There'll be carrots in it for you, if you make it a quick and safe descent." Washu added. Ken Ohki let out a joyous yowl, speeding up his pace, and Nagi rolled her eyes heavenwards.

"Carrots." She muttered. "Honestly. Sometimes, Ken Ohki, I despair of you."

Ken Ohki mewed defiantly as the Earth's surface came starkly into view, and even from his position on the pallet, Tenchi was able to make out houses, rivers and trees as the small, jagged craft plotted it's course towards the imposing, white-capped mountains in the distance. Before long they were hovering above the shrine, and Nagi gave the order to her ship to beam them down onto the soft grass beneath. Almost as soon as he touched the ground, Tenchi was up on his feet, pushing his exhaustion and dizziness out of his mind as he scrambled across the shrine complex towards the path that led to the house. Washu called him back, but he paid her no heed - only one thought was in his mind.

As he reached the front door he faltered, gripping hold of the door frame as he struggled to catch his breath. Then he entered the building more sedately, knocking on the door of Washu's lab. To begin with there was no answer, then Yume swung open the door and he pushed past her without seeing her, ignoring her exclamation of relief as he plunged into the furthermost point of the lab.

As he reached the entranceway, he paused, unsure as to what he would find, but as he stepped forward, he heard someone call his name. As his gaze fell on the figure that had lain so still on the makeshift bed, joy flickered into his brown eyes and he hurried forward, finding his second wind as he registered that not only was she alive, she was awake, too.

"_Tenchi_!" As he dropped down at her side, Ryoko flung back her bedcovers, throwing herself bodily into his arms and he gripped hold of her tightly. Her body shook with tears as the tension of the past few days poured out of her and for a moment he just held her, stroking her hair as she let her emotions run free.

At length she pulled back from him, meeting his gaze with a sheepish one of her own.

"Geez, would you look at me?" She said, embarrassed. "Crying like a baby...how pathetic!"

"It's not pathetic." Tenchi assured her. "I'm half inclined to follow your example, except of course that Washu and Yume would walk in on the pair of us howling and they'd never let us live it down."

Amusement glittered in Ryoko's tired amber eyes, and she hugged him tightly once more.

"Oh, but I thought you were dead." She whispered. "And you have no idea what a nightmare really is, Tenchi, until you start to live it."

"Well, it's over now." Tenchi told her gently. "For both of us, thank Goodness. I've missed you...I was worried."

"I don't care if this isn't the real world." Ryoko decided. "It's all confused at the moment - I don't know what's real and what isn't. But even if this is a hallucination, I want to stay here. Whichever world you exist in, Tenchi-kun. That's where I want to be."

"This world is real." Tenchi said with a grin. "I promise."

"Either way, I'm staying in it." Ryoko murmured. "You're here...and so is Ryo Ohki. I can feel her, prickling at the back of my mind."

She paused, raising her gaze to his.

"And Washu? Otosan? Lord Katsuhito?" She asked. "Are they all right, too? I really don't remember what happened after Shank fired his cannon. I mean, assuming that everything that happened since Hotsuma found me wasn't real."

"Ryo Ohki was hurt, but she wasn't destroyed. Nagi came to our rescue, and she's helped you too, bringing Washu and I into space and allowing us to use Ken Ohki as a base for me to come to try and get you back." Tenchi replied. "Thanks to her, we're all back together."

"Nagi, huh?" Ryoko pursed her lips, looking rueful. "I suppose there's a strange kind of logic to that. It wouldn't be the first time she'd saved my life."

She stretched, stifling a yawn.

"I could sleep for a week." She said regretfully. "And much as I'd like to do it _with_ you, I doubt that Washu would allow it."

An amused smile touched Tenchi's lips at this, and he touched her cheek gently.

"No, me either." He agreed. "And you're not the only one that's tired. Washu will probably want to run all kinds of tests on the both of us, and Ryo Ohki will be in here as soon as she can find her way. So I'll let you get some sleep, and go take a nap myself. We can talk later. We've all eternity to talk, in fact."

"For sure." Ryoko yawned again. "I guess so. All right. Sweet dreams, my Tenchi. Still be here, okay, when I wake?"

With that she settled back down on her pillows, closing her eyes, and Tenchi stood, drawing the blankets gently over her slight form. A tender look entered his brown eyes as he watched her sleeping, and he nodded his head.

"I promise." He murmured. "I'll always be here, Ryoko-chan. Whenever you need me."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Washu-san? Are you all right?"

Washu glanced up from her chair, casting her companion a warm smile as she beckoned for the droid to come and join her. Yume did so, eying the drawn curtains and the dim, flickering light of the lamp on the table. She cast her mentor a quizzical look.

"Why so dark?" She asked softly. "How come you're in here all alone, Washu-san - shouldn't you be with Ryoko?"

"Ryoko doesn't need me watching over her. She'll be all right, now." Washu said dismissively. "And I needed some time and space too, you know. In an hour or two I'm going to start work on Ken Ohki's shields, but I wanted a break before I began. It's been a difficult few days, all told. I didn't realise how difficult until now."

"You look tired." Yume acknowledged, coming to sit down opposite. "But everything worked. Just as you theorised, Ryoko was being held in space by an entity and Tenchi managed to bring her back. Right?"

"Yes, pretty much." Washu sighed, glancing at her hands as she did so. "But in a way, Yume, I was out-thought today, as well. I realised something about myself, up there in space. Something which you actually tried to tell me. I should listen to you more, it seems - you've managed to out-theorise the universe's number one genius scientist this time. I guess while I'm top of my game in all things scientific, I really don't know a whole lot about magic."

"Magic?" Yume looked startled. "Oh! You mean your Kii powers? Did they come back?"

"I don't know." Washu looked thoughtful, lowering her hands and meeting Yume's gaze with a pensive one of her own. "I'm not even sure they fully went away. I've been arrogant, Yume-chan. I've fallen into the same trap as everyone else does, when they think of or talk about Kihaku."

"Meaning?"

"I dismissed the magic as archaic, pointless and old...and I turned my back on my heritage as if I was ashamed of it." Washu said slowly. "But if I had only learnt to use it and embrace it when Father wanted me to, Ryoko would have been rescued from her ghost hell a lot quicker. I had the potential inside of me to do it, and always did. There was more to Kihaku than selling your life into slavery to it's whims. I just didn't see it till now, that's all. Kihaku isn't really dead and gone...not while Tokimi and I are still alive. That's what I never realised. There's more inside of me that the world didn't control or dictate. It's what you said - I just never called on my own strength to do it, before."

"And this time you did?" Yume's expression softened. "What happened, Washu-san? Did you go into this world of Ryoko's, too?"

"No...sadly I still haven't worked out how to do that." Washu said sheepishly. "But Ken Ohki came under attack from pirates while we were there, and I managed to throw up a forcefield to protect him. I've been making forcefields since I was a little girl, but I never thought much of doing it. It didn't take me much effort, when I relied on Kihaku to power the few magical forays I made. Now it has to all come from me and I realise that I've criticised Ryoko far too much for her lack of discipline. Her grasp of her magic is a hundred times better than mine, after all. And it seems she inherited that lack of discipline right from me. I'm really badly out of shape, if I'm honest about it. It took everything I had just to hold it for a few minutes."

Yume grinned.

"So are you going to become the witch, now?" she wondered. "Give up all this scientific exploration in favour of magic and spiritualism?"

"No...I don't think that's ever going to be me." Washu said ruefully. "I'm a scientist, and I expect I've gone too long without properly nurturing my magic. No wonder I've struggled with it from time to time. It's hard to master something you consider beneath you."

"So what now, then?"

"Well, it struck me that there are still things for me and my magic to do." Washu glanced across at the flickering lamp, a dreamy look entering her green eyes. "Science can't raise my sister from her sleep, Yume-chan - but perhaps Kii magic can, and maybe it can heal her, too. I'm tired, this evening, but I also feel a lot less haunted, somehow. I can't really explain it, but I feel like I learnt something today. I'm far too willing to rely on other people's magical skill, or my scientific prowess. But I have magic too, and dammit, it's strong, vibrant magic. I don't know how much, or what it entirely entails. But then, that's something for the scientist in me to find out. And if there is a way I can use what I have to raise Tokimi, in the way Sasami-chan saved both Ryoko and I from death - I'll try it."

Yume was silent for a moment, then she reached across to squeeze her companion's hand.

"If anyone can help Tokimi-sama, it's you." She acknowledged. "You're the only one who could reach her - the only one who might understand how to bring her back."

"And so I'll learn, even if it takes me a long time." Washu agreed. "It gives me a new focus of investigation, anyhow. And a new chance to rehabilitate my opinion of being Kii. I can't expect anyone to accept it - or me for being it - if I'm just as dismissive of it myself. Right?"

"Right." Yume said thoughtfully. "But if you've found your magic again, Washu-san, are you going to go back to being a child?"

Washu hesitated, then shook her head.

"I'm not a child." She said softly. "I've grown up, at long last...since the death of Kihaku, and beyond. I can't lock myself away from the world any more and I don't want to - Kii magic isn't going to kill or destroy anyone, but I've already relinquished far too many things in the pursuit of isolation. No, Yume. I'm an adult and that's how I'll stay. After all, I'm a mother - and whether she admits to it or not, Ryoko and I have developed a rapport between us since I began to live on the Earth. I'm fond of Tenchi and Noboyuki and Katsuhito-dono. I like this life, now I've found it. And I have you, as well - my waif and stray. It wouldn't be fair to you, to abandon my responsibilities and go back to being a child."

Yume smiled.

"You and Tenchi have been so good to me, since I came to the Earth." She reflected. "And even though Clay was my creator, he was never anything else. You've been more like a mother and a friend both - things I've never had, and things robots shouldn't ever have. I'm glad you're staying as you are, Washu-san. I like working with you, and I like living here, too. It's like I'm part of a family now, and I don't want that to change."

"It's a strange sort of family, but I agree with you." Washu nodded. "Ryoko and Tenchi have had a deeper impact on more lives than just theirs, when you come to think about it."

"That's Tenchi's special charm, though." Yume's eyes twinkled. "Even if I can't quantify it, I know it's there. He has something that's not like other people - you must have felt it too."

"I have." Washu agreed. "Maybe it's his link to Tsunami - or maybe it's all his own. But whatever it is, it bodes well for Planet Earth. While he's here, and Lord Katsuhito, and my impulsive, unpredictable daughter, this planet will be fine. And who knows? Maybe we all will be too - now we've worked out where we belong."

"I think so." Yume nodded, getting to her feet. "Do you want some tea, Washu-san? Then I'll help you, if you like, with your work on Ken Ohki's shields. After all, there's still a lot a droid like me can learn from a genius at work - even if I can call her out on her magic!"

-------------------

Twilight.

Ryoko pulled her wrap more tightly around her body, settling herself more comfortably atop the shrine gateway as she glanced thoughtfully around her at the surrounding hills and mountains. The Earth was peaceful, she mused, and somehow she'd come to like it that way. Exciting as her life had once been, it was nice to have a home - and to know where that home really was.

She leant back on her hands, gazing up at the stars with a rueful smile. They would always be there, she acknowledged to herself wryly. There was no rush to explore them all at once.

"Ryoko?"

Tenchi's voice startled her and she glanced down as something hard clattered against the shrine gateway. She grinned at him as he clambered up Katsuhito's old ladder, pausing to steady himself as he reached the top and then pulling his body up alongside hers as he perched on the end of the beam.

"I guess it goes without saying that you feel better." Tenchi broke the silence, and Ryoko nodded her head, slipping her hand absently into his as she moved herself closer to him.

"Much." She agreed. "You know, Tenchi, I used to look at the sky and see all those stars - always shining and constant, each one marking new planets and adventures and worlds I'd never seen. I swore once that I would explore every single one before I died - that I'd roam the whole of the universe and see everything for myself."

"And did you?" Tenchi looked surprised. Ryoko laughed, shaking her head.

"Even Washu couldn't explore so many places in her lifetime, so of course not." She replied. "But it seems to matter less, now. It's funny, but I almost think that it wasn't about exploring them at all. I mean, I could go where I liked and take what I chose from anywhere, but it was still never quite enough to keep me occupied. I was always looking to be away again - to move on to the next place and the next new experience. And now I wonder if it was just because the people on these worlds belonged there. They had families and homes - things I'd never really had. Maybe that's why I spent so long searching through space for new horizons. I hadn't found my world yet. It was still out there."

"You are philosophical tonight." Tenchi observed, offering her a crooked grin. "So do you think you found your world, now? Or are you still wanting to go hopping through space in search of new ones?"

"There are a lot of places I'd still like to travel to. Just to say I'd seen them." Ryoko said thoughtfully. "But I don't _need_ to travel, Tenchi-kun. I have roots, now. I never really realised how much being here meant to me until I thought the whole thing had been destroyed. And even when Hotsuma told me you and Ryo Ohki and Washu and everyone were dead...my impulse was still to come back here. Somehow it's become my home now. It's not just another world I visited. It's the one I belong on."

"Well, I'm glad to have you back." Tenchi reflected. He paused, then,

"Ryoko, about Hotsuma?"

"Yes, Tenchi?" Ryoko turned curious amber eyes on her companion. "What about Hotsuma?"

"Nagi said...well...she thought you and he..." Tenchi faltered, his cheeks reddening, and Ryoko laughed.

"Once, maybe. In a superficial sense." She agreed. "Does it bother you? Are you jealous?"

"A little, I suppose. Or I was." Tenchi admitted. "You've never mentioned him before. It made me...well, I wondered why you never did."

"Honestly?" Ryoko looked sheepish. "I think I forgot about it, as much as anything. I know it sounds awful and cold, but he was a raiding partner and not even one I had for that long. We didn't always get along and both of us wanted to be in control. Yes, we dabbled and played and I experimented. I'm not ashamed of that. Perhaps sometimes we were even friends. But I didn't fall in love with him. It was just...well, being pirates. That's all. Nothing else."

She squeezed his hand playfully.

"Didn't I tell you that you were the first man I fell in love with?" She added. "I didn't lie to you, Tenchi-kun. Knowing you changed me and my outlook on a lot of things. That's the truth. And being aboard the Nagatabi proved that time and time again. Much as I wanted to track down Shank and kill him for what I thought he'd done, I don't know if I ever would have done it. The thing was, Hotsuma was still a pirate. I wasn't any more."

She spread out her palm, tilting it so the moonlight glinted off her undamaged skin.

"Your Light Hawk Wings healed my pirate bond the last time we fought Kagato." She murmured. "It healed all my scars, Tenchi. That's powerful magic. How could you ever think I'd choose Hotsuma over you?"

"Well, I'm just glad that Mirei got involved and everything got settled." Tenchi said fervently. "Although now it's over, I do feel sorry for Hotsuma as well. He lost his life because of something he didn't do - he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, like Mirei. He set out to protect her - and wound up posthumously indicted for her murder. No wonder he couldn't rest."

"But now he will, because now people will know the truth about what happened on the Nagatabi." Ryoko said matter-of-factly. "Nagi doesn't like children-killers, so she'll probably go after Shank with twice as much gusto now, and if she doesn't force a confession out of him before she nails him, I'd be very much surprised. And we know what really happened, even if it takes time for the official version to be written. I think that's what he wanted, in the end. To have people know that he didn't murder a child."

"No, he wanted _you_ to know." Tenchi said pensively. Ryoko looked startled.

"You think so?"

"I think so." Tenchi nodded. "He pulled you into his world, he built himself on your memories and held on to you through a blood bond you made years ago. He wanted to keep you - it's fairly obvious to me that, whatever you felt towards him, he had pretty strong emotions towards you. I think he was in love with you, Ryoko. And I think the only thing that mattered to him, at the end, was that you knew he didn't kill Mirei. He gave up so easily then, when it all became clear. Once he knew he was really dead, he let you go. But he wouldn't have done that if you'd still thought him guilty."

"I hadn't thought about that." Ryoko frowned. "I didn't realise he could feel like that about me, because I never felt that way about him. But I guess if you're right, I was kind of mean to him. I didn't know."

"He's at peace now, so it doesn't matter." Tenchi told her gently. "Either way, both he and Mirei can settle now that their story is really known."

"I guess." Ryoko agreed. "But it's the last time I'll be going near Sargasso space for a while, I'm telling you. Pirate superstitions may be pirate superstitions, but having experienced one of them first-hand, I'm in no hurry to go back there. Without you, without Ryo Ohki - heck, I even found myself missing Washu, so you know I must have been going crazy there. I guarantee that sector is off limits now. No more ghosts for this pirate, that's for sure."

"That suits me fine, too." Tenchi grinned. "The next time we fly to Jurai, we won't be taking that particular detour. Even if we do run into pirate ships!"

He hesitated, then slipped his arm around her, and she leant her head on his shoulder, comforted by his warmth.

"What if I _had_ been dead, Ryoko-chan?" He asked her softly. "And that world had been reality. Would you have made bonds with Hotsuma again? Mixed blood and flown as a pirate?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Ryoko shrugged. "But we tried that once...it didn't work out. I expect I'd have wound up alone again sooner or later. I don't make great company, most of the time. You're the exception - you seem able to put up with most of my character quirks. It's not something I want to dwell on, if I'm honest. It's too close to when I actually believed it. So...so let it go, huh? We're here now and that's all that matters."

All right." Tenchi nodded. "I guess you're right."

Before Ryoko could answer, there was the sound of scratching and a rustle of fur, and with a triumphant mew Ryo Ohki's head appeared over the edge of the beam, amber eyes glinting mischievously in the moonlight as she scampered across the grained wood, curling herself up on Ryoko's lap. Ryoko grinned, reaching down to fondle the cabbit's ears affectionately.

"Yes, it's good to have you back too." She agreed. "And I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm sorry I put you through that, Ryo Ohki. No more flights into ghost space, I promise. Just a long rest and lots of carrots for the time being. Yes?"

Ryo Ohki's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and Tenchi laughed.

"You know, sometimes I feel that if I do have any competition for you, it's her." He teased, and Ryoko looked rueful as the cabbit flicked her ears playfully in his direction.

"You probably have a point." She agreed. "I couldn't choose between you, in truth - so I'm glad you don't hate one another. I belong with Ryo Ohki and now I belong with you, too."

Ryo Ohki rubbed her head up against her mistress's hand with a contented purr, and Tenchi reached across to scratch her under the chin.

"Well, Ryo Ohki and I have a special understanding." He said simply. "She wants you to be happy, and so do I. So, we agree."

"Plus she knows who it is who plants her carrots." Ryoko reminded him, ruffling idle fingers through the tousled chocolate fur. She glanced up, an impish twinkle in her golden eyes.

"I'm really glad that Ryo Ohki and I came to the Earth in the beginning, regardless of all the craziness we've been through since then." She added. "It was worth it. All of it. Life's never slow, is it, Tenchi?"

"No, that's for sure." Tenchi agreed ruefully. "Although I think that's your influence...there was nothing insane in my life before I met you."

"You're welcome." Ryoko's eyes danced with amusement. "I'm glad I could spice up your dull little mountain existance for you. You were always meant for better things than chasing after local girls and an office job like your Dad, anyway. You do know that, right?"

"Maybe." Tenchi grinned. He paused, eying her keenly, and despite herself Ryoko frowned, glancing down at her body, then back towards him.

"What?" She asked. "Why are you staring, Tenchi? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Tenchi reddened, a sheepish look touching his expression. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking, that's all. About you and your life as a pirate and well, all the things I probably still don't really know about you. I suppose I was wondering if it mattered - that life you had before. Or whether it didn't, now it was over."

"Now who's being philosophical?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "My brain can't take too much of it, Tenchi. If you get any more obtuse, I'll have to break into your Grandfather's sake."

"No." Tenchi laughed, shaking his head. "I'm not trying to be confusing. I just don't think much about your pirate days. And now I am. That's all."

"Well, you don't have to, because they're past. But I have nothing to hide - whatever you want to know, I'll happily share with you." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "I don't regret being a pirate - not any of it, Tenchi. It was a wild life - a good life - but I've lived it and now I've moved on. It got old with me, that's all. But if you want to know - ask away. It isn't a secret."

Tenchi eyed her long and hard for a moment. Then he shook his head.

"I don't need to know." He said softly. "Because it's as you said. It's over now and you're here."

He frowned, holding up his hands to the silvery moonlight.

"Does it really mean so much, though, to slash your palm and mix your blood with another? Can that really tie you together forever?"

"It's not what it does, but what you believe it means. Symbolism. That's all." Ryoko shrugged. "It's an official pirate act that marks a bond...the meaning is more important than the act."

Tenchi fell silent, and glancing at him, Ryoko realised he was mulling this over. In her lap, Ryo Ohki had settled down to sleep and the buzzing dreams of the cabbit against her senses began to make her feel drowsy also. She stifled a yawn, looking sheepish as she absently reached down to pat the creature's head.

"She's making me sleepy." She admitted. "I guess it must be getting late, and Washu's still adamant that I get some rest. Anyone would think she worried about me, the way she goes on."

"What about our bond, Ryoko-chan?" Tenchi's question came out of the blue, and Ryoko started, jerked back to wakefulness by the uncharacteristic gravity in her companion's voice.

"What do you mean?" She asked, surprised. "I'm not going to ask you to spill blood on my account, if that's what you want to know. You're not a pirate and nor am I, now. I don't need to cut either of us to know we belong together. It's deeper than that. Much deeper. I keep telling you we're soulmates - sooner or later you're going to have to believe me."

"Maybe I do believe you." Tenchi admitted, and Ryoko's eyes almost dropped out of her head.

"_Tenchi_?" She whispered. "I don't understand. Why are you...?"

"We have a bond, you and me. It's more than just a relationship - I think we've proven that now." Tenchi said quietly. "Only someone with a connection to you could have pulled you out of Sargasso, and I've known for a long time that we have an understanding between us. A sense of...knowing about the other. Do you know what I mean? Like...intuition. Understanding. Something."

"I think so." Ryoko frowned, confusion flooding her expression as she gazed at him. "But I don't know where this is going."

"You had a bond with Hotsuma, and that bond meant something in pirate circles. Symbolically." Tenchi continued, slipping his hand beneath hers and lifting it into his line of sight, gently turning it over as he did so. "And the bond was broken because the scar healed - or so you've just said. I don't want to be a pirate and I don't want to bleed all over Grandfather's shrine steps. That's not who either of us are now and I'm glad you know it. But I do want us to...to seal our bond. To make it...real. Somehow."

Ryoko eyed him tenderly for a moment, then very gently she kissed him.

"That makes it real." She whispered. "We don't need anything else, Tenchi. Just that."

"Maybe." Tenchi hesitated, then he slid his free hand into his pocket, pulling out the worn jewellery box and flipping it open. Carefully and lovingly he extracted his mother's ring from it's soft cushioning, holding it up to the light as he did so.

"This belonged to my mother." He said quietly.

"To Lady Achika?" Bemusement entered Ryoko's eyes. "But I don't understand. Why do you have it? I didn't take you as the kind of man who likes wearing women's jewellery."

"No...no." Tenchi shook his head. "Father gave it to me, when we were on Jurai."

"I see." Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "So it's Otosan who likes to wear women's jewellery...?"

"No!" Tenchi laughed. "Not either one. But when Mother died, she gave it to him to give to me, one day, when he thought the time was right for me to have it. To use it."

"To use it for what?" Gently Ryoko picked up the ring, turning it over. "It looks normal enough to me...does it have special magic or something? Something Juraian from her ancestry?"

"Not at all." Tenchi shook his head. "At least...I suppose it has Earth magic. If you want to call it that. But nothing else."

"Earth doesn't have magic." Ryoko shook her head, handing it back. "Stop teasing me, Tenchi. Why did your mother give you a ring?"

"On this planet, we have a tradition." Tenchi took a deep breath, and Ryoko could see the mixture of anxiety and apprehension in his expression. "Ryoko, my father gave this ring to my mother when he asked her to marry him. It was a symbol of their bond - and they were always very happy. Mother wanted me to have it so that one day I could...could form a connection with someone that she hoped would be just as happy. It's her way of giving me her blessing, even if she's not here to do it herself. And Dad told me that he thought I should have it now, but I didn't know whether I was ready to. I mean, that's why I didn't say anything then, when we came back from Jurai. But after all we've been through, I guess I realised that I _want_ that connection. And I'm ready to make it if...if you are."

Ryoko's eyes could not get any bigger, and for a moment words failed her. For a long couple of moments there was silence between them, as time seemed almost to have stopped still. Then she bit her lip.

"Are you asking me to _marry_ you?" She whispered. It was impossible for Tenchi to go any redder, and he dropped his gaze, fidgeting with the edge of his jacket as he did so.

"Please don't make me say it again." He begged. "It's scary enough doing it the one time...Ryoko, isn't it pretty obvious that's what I meant?"

"I guess...but...I mean...wow." Ryoko faltered. "You really want to be tied to me? Forever? That's a long time, you know. A really, really long time."

"I already am." Tenchi raised awkward eyes to hers. "It's what you said. A symbol. That's all. What it means is something more."

"Is it really an Earth tradition, my Tenchi?"

"Yes." Tenchi's cheeks resumed their normal colour and he nodded. Ryoko pursed her lips, reaching out a tentative finger to brush the edge of the ring.

"But what if I damage it? Or lose it? Or something?" She asked hesitantly. "It was Achika-sama's ring. What if I did? I mean, I'm tough on things. Clothes, jewellery, everything. I...I might, and then..."

"Will you stop fixating on the ring for a minute, and think about what I'm actually asking you to do?" Tenchi put a finger to her lips, an awkward expression in his brown eyes. "It's not about a piece of jewellery, like it's not about scars or blood when you bond as a pirate. Look past it, will you? Please? Or I'm going to really start regretting that I ever brought it up."

Ryoko fell silent for a moment, then she relinquished her contact with the ring, offering him a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry." She said ruefully. "Noone ever asked me to marry them before. Actually, most of the men I've met wanted to kill me. This is a whole new experience for me."

Tenchi did not answer, his eyes clouded with apprehension, and Ryoko hesitated, then lifted her finger to his cheek, running it gently across his skin.

"I don't need to marry you to be with you forever." She said contemplatively. "If Hotsuma is anything to go by, love outlives death and we'll always be linked somehow, no matter what plane of existance we're flitting through."

She smiled at him, mischief returning to her golden eyes.

"But I know what it means to you, this Earth symbolism." She added. "I understand the gesture, Tenchi-kun - and so long as I have you, I don't mind what we do or where we go."

"Was that a yes?"

"Of course it was." Ryoko held out her hand, a smile touching her lips as clumsily and hesitantly Tenchi slipped the trinket onto her finger. "Though promise not to kill me if something happens to it. I told you - I'm hard on stuff. And I don't want you to hate me if I wreck your mother's ring."

"It's not hers any more. It's yours, now." Tenchi's cheeks were red once more, and Ryoko laughed.

"Well, maybe I'll just wear it when it's special. Like when we visit Ayeka on Jurai, for example." She said playfully. "After all, like you said - it's just a symbol anyway. A symbol that it takes more than a ghost ship and a pirate encounter to split us up."

"Right." Tenchi looked relieved. "You know, I'm really glad I'm never going to have to do that again."

"But you're so cute when you're blushing." Ryoko teased, and he grimaced at her. 

"Not funny."

"Aw. Don't be like that." Ryoko reproached him. Carefully she scooped the sleeping Ryo Ohki up off her lap, setting her down gently on the beam beside her. Then, with a grin, she threw her arms around her fiance, taking him off guard and making him lose his balance. With a wild yell he struggled to regain his grip, but it was to no avail and both of them tumbled head first off the beam.

"_Ryoko!_"

"Oh, relax." Ryoko blurred them out of view, re-materialising neatly on the grass outside the shrine itself. "There. You need to be more careful though, Tenchi. I might not always be there to catch you."

"Yes, you will." Tenchi reminded her. "And to make me fall, too, most likely."

"Forever?"

"Forever." Tenchi agreed. Ryoko grinned.

"Well, I promise you something, my Tenchi." She said softly, meeting his brown eyes with pensive amber ones. "Life with me might be unpredictable, insane and even hell-raising, on occasion. But one thing it will never, ever be is dull."


End file.
